Draco's New Toy
by SeerCassandraTrelawney
Summary: When Hogwarts has been taken over and Voldemort now reigns king over both Muggles and Wizards alike, Draco is given Hermione to do with as he will... what will he do? Please be aware this is a very Dark Fanfiction Story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters from Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling. No infringement is intended and no profit made from their use. This story is rated M for sexual content and language.

As she turned over, Hermione felt the cold of the floor on her arms and she hoped she had such a bad dream it knocked her off her bed. As she opened her eyes dread washed over her. She was surrounded by dark stone walls that gave the whole room, if you could call it that, a wet and cold feeling. The air was damp and almost unbreathable and her mouth gaped open when she saw the chains bolted to the wall and no sign of a visible entrance. There was one little window at the top of the wall that faced her, it was covered with metal bars and didn't allow much light to come in. She curled into a fetal position and began to cry. So it wasn't a nightmare, she thought. Voldemort had indeed conquered Hogwarts. Where was Harry? Where was Ron? Were they alive or did they parish under Voldemort's will.

She tried to apparate out of the dank room, but she soon realized her efforts were wasted. Some spell must be preventing her from leaving the room. She was very sad, angry and distraught, but she knew she had to pull herself together. Where was she? A dungeon, that was obvious, but where? And whose? Before Hermione could think of the answers, a crack notified her of someone apparating behind her. Instinctively she reached into the sleeve of her robe for her wand, but there was nothing there. No wand, but more importantly no sleeve. She realized then that all she had on was a dirty camisole and her white panties.

The chubby young man, whom she had always seen sneering and happy, now looked sad and angry. As he stared at her feet, he dropped a tattered grey skirt. Hermione slowly bent over to retrieve it without ever dropping her gaze. "Goyle," she suddenly smiled "where are we, where is everyone?" But the young man kept silent and dropped another piece of fabric by her feet. "Gregory, I need you to..."

"Shut Up!" he interrupted abruptly, "you will put on these clothes and be silent doing it."

Hermione came to the realization, Gregory Goyle was not on her side. "No!" She answered defiantly, but Goyle turned towards her and sneered, "I was hoping you'd say that." He pulled out his wand and paused, trying to remember the spell he was told to use. "Evanesco!" He yelled. She looked down and saw what little clothing she had on had vanished. Goyle was staring at her supple and naked breasts. The room was so cold, and her nipples had hardened instantly. She immediately covered herself with the skirt as Goyle paced about the room, still staring at her. Hermione's anger surged, "When I get my wand back-"

"You'll do what, Mudblood?" He said placing his foot on the fabric laying on the floor.

"I'll place you on the tallest statue at the top of the ministry of magic building and see how you enjoy being naked!" She stammered.

"I don't think you realize who you are addressing." And without another word, he raised the sleeve of his robe. There, burning brightly on his arm, was the dark mark. The sole symbol of a Death Eater. "Wow," she said calmly, "Voldemort must have really been desperate to recruit-," but before she could finish her sentence, Goyle slapped her so hard and abruptly she lost her balance and fell to the floor. "Filthy Mudblood, the dark Lord bestowed upon me a great honor and I will make him proud." Hermione had never witnessed Goyle speak more than two words in a single sentence, let alone taking a stand without Draco Malfoy guiding his every step. She was obviously in a Death Eater's mansion, she guessed. Not many wizards still had dungeons in their homes. Was she in Goyle's home or was he doing someone else's bidding.

"A great honor indeed, he sends you down to me with clothes, like a servant, a house elf." Goyle turned towards her and pointed his wand at her. "Petrificus Totalis!" he chanted. The skirt fell from her hands. Her lips and tongue were frozen still and she could not move any limb. There she stood, petrified with no clothing on.

Goyle picked up the skirt and the fabric from the floor. "Filthy Mudblood… I wish I could teach you some manners," he said as his hand cupped her breast from behind. He pressed up against her, so close she could feel what he would have referred to as his manhood under his robe, "but I need to get these clothes on you. Pity." He fumbled with the skirt and put it over her head, pulling it down to her waist, trying to get a feel every time her breasts came near his hands. If Hermione could have, she would have cried. He wrapped the fabric around her back, crossed it over her breasts and tied it around her neck. "Such a shame to waist time covering your skin, when you'll be uncovered soon."

What was going to happen to her now? Even though Goyle was a bumbling idiot, he became a Death Eater and had the backup of many others. Suddenly another crack sounded and then Vincent Crabb appeared. "Goyle" he grunted and almost like they had read each other's mind, they smiled. Crabb grabbed Hermione's left arm, while Goyle grabbed her right arm and in an instant the both of them apparated with her into a sitting room.

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. She was standing in the middle of the sitting room with many eyes watching her. Sitting on a settee to the left was Narcissa Malfoy, and her Sister Belatrix, both seemed annoyed that their conversation had been interrupted by the appearance of the girl. Standing to his wife's side was Lucius Malfoy, his blonde hair shimmering in the light. His smile was so evil, Hermione just knew he had everything to do with this situation. To the right were Crabb and Goyle's fathers, waiting for his boys to come back, and standing by the fireplace, was Draco Malfoy.

Lucius looked at his two fellow Death Eaters, "You should be proud of your boys… they apparated her here with no visible splinching. Boffy!" he called and with a pop, a house elf appeared. He was old and grizzly, but he quickly levitated and placed a metal collar around Hermione's neck. "You filthy little Mudblood," Lucius continued, "this collar binds you to this home, as a house elf is bound to his master. You can only be freed if the owner of this home, namely myself, choses to release you. You've no doubt noticed you cannot apparate, that is because only a Death Eater can enter or leave this house and it takes two dark marks to apparate a non Death Eater in our out. Now follow Boffy and do as he says." Hermione was still under the Petrificus Spell and stood still. "Oy!" said Boffy. "Mudblood! Oy! The filthy girl heard the Master, follow Boffy!" Lucius walked over to her, and placed his hand between her legs on top of her skirt. Hermione would have screamed, or winced, or turned him into dust… but she couldn't move. "She's petrified. Gregory, my boy, did you defile this young Mudblood?"

"No" Goyle grunted. "Good…" said Lucius "Finite Incatetum."

Hermione fell to the floor, her legs no longer able to bear her weight. She looked up at Lucius and spat on his feet. "You little insolent Mudblood!" He raised his wand and before he could speak Draco came running up "Crucio!" He yelled pointing at Herimone. Hermione screamed in pain a little… it was indeed pain, but nothing she couldn't handle. "Don't you dare disrespect my Father, you filth!" Lucius turned to his son and in a very non plus manner he raised an eyebrow. "Now Lucius" hissed Bellatrix "The boy was just trying to make you proud. He needs someone to practice his unforgivable curses on."

Lucius looked at Draco intensely and said "I want her to follow Boffy to the kitchen and clean the floors." Draco turned to Hermione and aimed his wand at her. "Imperio!" he screamed. His Imperius curse did not need improvement, it was very powerful. "Granger, Kitchen, Now!" Hermione had never been able to resist the Imperius curse, so against her own will, she turned on her heels and followed Boffy.


	2. Chapter 2

Boffy wasn't paying much attention to the plates that he was hovering over the sink. His eyes were fixed on the back of Hermione's neck. The house elf was really enjoying watching the young witch on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. There was something about manual labor that gave Boffy such a happy feeling, in fact this was the first time he smiled in all the years he had worked for the last 3 generation of Malfoys.

Hermione wanted to turn around and speak to Boffy face to face, plead with him to let her go, however she could neither turn, nor speak. And even if she could, where would she go, would there even be anyone who would take her in? Could there be anything worse than being a slave in the Malfoy household?

All of a sudden she felt her body move. She was standing upright now and cleaning herself off. She still couldn't control her own movements, as the Imperius curse Draco placed on her was still strong. She was given a tray to carry with plates, utensils and glasses and she was told to leave the kitchen and prepare the dining room for supper.

As she walked into the Malfoy dining room, her cold bare feet felt the plush warm carpet. The walls were papered with a beautiful sage green that only enhanced the charm of the cherry wood dining table that stood majestic in the middle of the room. Four chairs were around the table, but it seemed it could fit four more. Against the west wall there was an enormous cherry wood china cabinet which contained elegant crystals which sparkled in the light that filled the room. There were three paintings on the opposite walls. One, on the west wall, portrayed a Venetian landscape during high tide, the water still, but cold and the lone Gondola was gently floating the middle of Piazza San Marco. The second, by the window on the south wall, was portrait of a beautiful lady with long black hair. She seemed sad and resigned to being confined to the portrait, her skin was pale and her eyes seemed bloodshot from tears. The frame to this portrait looked worn and beaten, as if people had tried to pry it off the wall it was one and couldn't. Finally the third painting, at the north end of the room, was that of a young blondee man, with dark eyes and a wicked smile. There was clearly resemblance to the men in the Malfoy family, however he didn't seem calm. The man in the portrait seemed to be insane.

"Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum" sneered the blondee man in the painting, "I smell the scent of a mudblood scum!" and he laughed, pleased with his childish rhyme. Boffy, who followed Hermione closely to make sure she wasn't breaking things, smirked a bit at the portrait's joke.

"Boffy, who is this girl?" said the woman in the portrait. Boffy pretended he didn't hear and conjured up a deep red linen tablecloth that hovered for a moment before it laid itself onto the table. Then with a motion of his finger, he gestured to Hermione to start arranging the place settings. Hermione obeyed quietly, as she had no other choice.

"Boffy, did you not hear me?" said the lady in a frustrated tone that seemed more upset than angry, but Boffy kept ignoring her.

"Now Lucretia," said the blonde in a patronizing tone, "You know Boffy isn't allowed to converse with you, in fact I don't know why I am" and he laughed again. The lady then drew herself further back in the painting and turned away from the dining room.

Hermione placed four plates on the table, each was tastefully painted with a beautiful cherry blossom tree in full bloom swaying in the wind and three birds that were trying to fly from one end of the plate to the other only halting long enough to peck at the tree or its flowers. Four rimmed soup bowls were delicately placed to rest on the plates, although in color, the bowls were similar, the design was different. There was a large soft coral with green sea fans and sponges and around it four different types of fish were swimming around. As were the plates, the bowls were a cream bone china and rimmed with gold. The utensils were in gold also, as to match the rim of the china. Hermione then placed the eight crystal goblets she had been carrying, two by each plate, very delicately.

"Boffy," cried the blondee, "I want a glass of wine."

"But Master Darius-" screeched Boffy.

"Do it!" hissed the blonde.

Boffy levitated a bottle of red wine and filled one of the glasses, he then carefully levitated the filled glass and directed it towards the young man in the painting. The young man's hand was stretched towards the glass "I've got it, Boffy" he laughed.

"Master-" pleaded Boffy.

"I said, I've got it" he repeated in a forceful tone.

Cringing, Boffy let his hold on the goblet go and as a painting cannot hold a goblet or any other object, it came crashing on the floor. 

"Oh Master!" Boffy cried as he levitated a rag out of the kitchen and started cleaning the red mark the wine had made.

"Leave it!" Yelled the young man in the portrait.

Hermione couldn't understand what was happening. Why Boffy would speak to one portrait and not the other was strange enough, but she couldn't understand the power struggle the young man in the portrait and Boffy were having… or was it just some trick? She'd soon find out.

With a crack, Narcissa Malfoy apparated into the dining room. She gave an angry glance toward Hermione and she looked at Boffy. The house elf was visibly distraught and kept looking at the man in the portrait. "Missus, I–" but the man in the portrait interrupted. "Cissy," he said with a charming smile. "Don't take it out on Boffy, even though the mudblood was his responsibility, he wasn't able to prevent her from dropping the glass."

"Shut up, Darius!" If looks could kill, Hermione's death would be a slow and painful one. "You ugly stinking thing, you dare break one of the family's rare crystal goblets?" Hermione stared the blonde woman in the eyes but didn't speak. With a flick of her wand Narcissa removed the imperius spell and smiled. "You are a defiant little thing, aren't you? A word of advice: learn to be humble and know your place. You won't want to defy certain members of the Malfoy family."

"I hope you are not speaking of my dear brother, Cissy" said the blondee.

"Darius, if you say one more word I will tell your dear brother Lucius, you were the one who made Boffy break one of our family heirlooms, just to have us punish the mudblood in front of you." then she turned to Hermione and said angrily, "Clean it up, now." and with that, Narcissa turned her nose up in the air and stormed out of the room.

"My brother would have a great time punishing you. Cissy's just jealous of the attention you would be getting, so please, be as defiant as you like."

Hermione cleaned up the fragments of crystal and finished setting the table under the constant verbal jabs of Lucius' brother. The dark haired woman in the other portrait was in the back of her painting, on the floor huddled in a corner with her back turned towards the dining room. Her hair reminded Hermione of Harry's mom. Harry… she missed her best friend so much. Was he in some Death Eater's home, a servant, as she was? Or did he escape and is in hiding with Lupin and the Weasley's? Or could he be… no, she couldn't think of that, she wouldn't think of that! And Ron… dear sweet Ron. A tear came to her eyes thinking of her boyfriend. She hoped he was safe, and would soon come to rescue her.

"Girl," called Boffy, "The family Boffy serves will be sitting down to supper now. Hold the water pitcher, stand back and do as family tells girl to." Boffy then snapped his fingers and two other house elves came out of the kitchen. The one who held a bottle of wine placed himself on the east wall, and the other, who held a small bowl filled with salt in one hand and a pepper mill in the other stood against the south wall. Boffy then walked to the north wall and remained still.

As Hermione stood underneath the portrait of the Venetian landscape, the Malfoy family walked into the dining room. Narcissa and Bellatrix walked in first, conversion in a whisper to each other. The lady of the house walked slowly to the south side of the room and the house elf pulled her chair out for her to sit in. Without even acknowledging the elf, Narcissa remaining upright, continued her conversation with Bellatrix who was standing by the chair on the east side of the room.

Draco then walked in. He was obviously deep in thought as he stood by his chair ont the same side Hermione was on. She was watching them intently. After all they were family, but they were acting as if they were at a business meal, detached and unloving. As Hermione observed the ladie's behavior, she realized Draco was stealing a glance at her out of the corner of his eyes. He quickly averted them though as soon as Bellatrix looked at him.

Finally Lucius walked in. He was a majestic looking man, beautiful, powerful, and as evil as a mortal can be. His glance was as cold as his speech for the ones he loved. "Good Evening, Father." Draco said as his father passed by him. "Draco." Lucius acknowledged without looking at his son. Narcissa then followed in a cold voice "Good Evening, my love," and in the same tone Lucius answered simply "Darling."

"Good Evening, dear brother." Darius greeted. Lucius answered with a smirk and a low laugh. This was not at all pleasing to Darius' ears, but he kept silent and retreated into his portrait.

"Lucius" sneered Bellatrix.

"Trixie." He replied with an evil smile.

"My Love, you know sister doesn't like pet names." Narcissa said delicately trying not to offend neither her husband nor her sister.

"Cissy," said Bellatrix in a very condescending tone "Speak not to your husband that way. Poor Lucius, has been through a horrible ordeal. He may call me anything he pleases, for now, what with being in Azkaban and no longer being the Dark Lord's favorite-"

"Dearest Trixie," he interrupted in a calm tone "Please do not worry yourself, believe me, there is not need. Now that I am out of that hell hole in Azkaban I will soon redeem my proper position at the Dark Lord's side." And with that Lucius laid his wand by his side in full view of everyone at the table.

Once Lucius sat down, the rest of the family did the same. He then nodded his head and Boffy snapped his skinny little fingers. Food appeared on the table, not a feast like those at Hogwarts but enough to satisfy the whole Weasley family.

There was a bowl filled with linguine covered in a mushroom and truffle, with white cream sauce. _I love Italian_ thought Hermione, but before her thoughts could wander, she smelled the pork roast, glazed in a honey mustard sauce with sweet pineapple rounds adorning it and cloves that had been placed in the center of each of them. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she ate anything. Her mouth started watering as she watched them eating. She could almost taste it as it entered their mouth.

"Wine!" Lucius said, and the house elf who stood on the east side levitated his bottle above the table to his master's crystal goblet and poured the wine into it. He sipped on it and it met with his approval. The elf then hovered the bottle towards Naricissa and Bellatrix and poured the wine into their goblets.

"Water." Draco said in the same way his father did. Hermione watched the house elves, which all turned to her and stared. She was somewhat appalled that no one thought to thank these elves who cooked this amazing dinner and were serving them quietly. She didn't realize she was in their position, and maybe even below them. She had to follow Boffy's orders, so what did that make her?

"Water!" Draco repeated, but Hermione's head was someplace else. She was waiting to see what else would happen at the table. Hoping, like a dog, a scrap of food would fall on the floor and she could have it. She then got angry she was made to think that way, but she was so hungry and the food looked and smelled so succulent.

"Granger! I asked for water." She realized then, that was her cue. But she was no longer under the imperius curse. She was ready to tell him what he could do with his water, or ask him to say 'the magic word,' but fearing she would be subject to more punishment, she walked over to the table and began pouring the water into his goblet. "I guess you were right, Father." Draco said. "Even she can be trained."

That put Hermione over the edge. Punishment or no, she would not stand for that comment. So as she was pouring the water into his glass she moved her arm and continued pouring the water on Draco's pants until every drop was poured out, then she raised his goblet and let the liquid pour out over his head.

"You stupid girl, how dare you!" Narcissa said in disgust. Draco was speechless, he could only look down at his wet robes embarrassed in front of his family. Before Hermione could even smile or gloat about her little act of defiance, Lucius had risen from his seat, his hand grabbed her hair at the base of her head and pushed her head into Draco's plate.

"Father, I can handle Grang-"

"Draco, let me show you how you punish your toy." Lucius said this in a voice that exuded a strange sadistic pleasure. He quickly conjured a switch of wood, like a small part of the branch of a tree while keeping her face forced into the plate with his left hand. His right hand raised her skirt and rested it on her waist exposing her bare skin. His hand warmed her cold skin as it caressed every inch of her bare bottom. "For a skinny mudblood, you have a plump ass." He hissed with pleasure. He then took the switch and moved it along her bottom.

"Punish her proper Lucius, do it, do it!" Darius laughed excitedly from his portrait.

"So, girl, now that you are in the Malfoy house…" and he hit her with the switch with all his force. She jumped, but bit her lip so she wouldn't yell, but the pain was so intense her eyes started to water.

"…you will do as we tell you…" He hit her again in the same spot, and again she held back her cries.

"…every time and every where we do" he continued and he hit her a third time. This time Hermione let a small cry out against her own will. Bellatrix smiled and leaned back into her chair watching with total pleasure.

Lucius then bent over her and with his mouth close to her ear, he whispered "Do you understand, mudblood?" He was leaning so close to her, she could feel through his robes how aroused he was. There was no mistaking it; it throbbed against her leg, large and hard. He moved back and with another blow of the switch he continued "I will keep beating you if you do not answer the way I wish you to."

He kept on, blow by blow beating her with the switch, she couldn't hold back the tears and after a few dozen she started sobbing out loud, uncontrollably. Lucius kept on and once he broke the skin the blows just kept coming faster and faster. Once a half hour passed, he paused and ran his fingers on her open sores. She screamed in agony, which only excited him more. He looked at the blood intently and then licked it off his fingers. He then continued with the switch.

"Father, it was just water, it's dry now." Draco said.

"Remember Draco, if your dog pees on the floor and you do not put her face in it and punish the bitch, she will then pee on the couch, or your bed."

Finally Narcissa, who could bare this no longer shouted "Lucius, Stop!" this made him stop and stare at her. There was fury burning in the man's eyes. The silence was only broken by the now constant sobs of Hermione.

"Lucius, punish her proper!" yelled Darius still watching from his portrait.

"My love," started Narcissa trying to act as if she wasn't at all upset "we are at the dinner table."

"My dearest treasure" hissed Lucius, still furious he had been interrupted, "it is precisely because we are at the dinner table that I do not 'punish her proper'."

"Cissy is jealous, Cissy is jealous."

Lucius smiled, raised an eyebrow and looked at his wife "Now darling, I know that cannot be true, can it?"

"Of course not, my love." She said in a sneer "I was just disgusted at the sight of her filthy blood. And now I have lost my appetite and wish to be excused."

"And you may be excused, my dearest." Lucius answered gritting his teeth.

Narcissa stood up, thanked him with a nod of her head, and apparated out the room.

"Lucius, as much as I enjoy watching the mudblood get tortured, my duty is to my sister, so if you wouldn't mind, I would like to make sure she is feeling alright." said Bellatrix.

"Of course, Trixie" Lucius said with a smile and as she smiled back and nodded to him in acknowledgement, she apparated out of the dining room.

"Now girl, answer my question. Do you understand?"

Hermione turned and with every inch of strength she had left in her body she said, "No."

"Punish her proper Lucius, Punish her proper!" laughed Darius.

"I think I WILL punish her proper Darius," said Lucius. "Draco, I need a second Death Eater to apparate her into the dungeon. Hold her right arm while I take her left."

Draco did as he was told.

"Lucius, you would deprive me, your own brother, of watching you punish the mudblood girl?" said Darius, but as Lucius and Draco left, the painting heard a clear and distinct "Yes!"

They apparated into the dungeon and let go of Hermione, who stood up defiantly. She was watching Lucius who started to remove his robes. "Draco, go check on your mother." Lucius said, staring at Hermione. She knew what would happen next but it probably would happen whether or not the boy left. She would fight his every move, but she would never submit willingly to Lucius. "Draco, need I repeat myself?" His father said furiously. Draco stole a glance at Hermione and looked down. However as he was getting ready to apparate out, when he noticed his father looking at his arm.

"Father, is everything alright?" He asked carefully "Father?"

"Yes Draco," he answered impatiently "Is your mark glowing, boy?"

Draco look at his arm "No Father, it is not." he replied.

"The Dark Lord has then requested the senior Death Eaters, so your mother, aunt and I will need go. Draco, I want you to continue her punishment, and have her hanswer 'Yes' to my question."

"Yes Father."

Lucius apparated out of the dungeon, leaving Draco alone with Hermione. She then looked at Draco and began walking towards him. She wanted to fight him, she didn't care how, but he wasn't coming near her. She was going to attack him but her legs no longer could keep her up and she fainted in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione started to stir, but a searing pain in her bottom woke her up suddenly. She wasn't alone. She shifted her weight onto her right side and tried to cover herself with her skirt while crawling away from the person at her side. Draco was kneeling on the floor with a wet cloth stained with blood.

"What do you think you are doing?" screamed Hermione, not fully remembering what had happened.

Draco was taken aback a little. For the first time to Hermione, this rich brat seemed shy and defensive.

"I was just…" he started to say in his defense, but he abruptly stopped. His demeanor changed, he raised his head and tossed the cloth to Hermione. "Here. It has a dittany ointment in it. It will help it heal faster and reduce scarring. Believe me, I know."

"What do you care, Malfoy." Hermione spat out.

"I don't!" He answered immediately and in a snide tone he said "I just like to keep my toys in good shape."

"Draco, if you truly think I will be your 'toy', you are sadly mistaken. I will fight you and your family every step of the way."

The young man looked down and smiled "For being the smartest witch in our class, you are being very stupid." Hermione was determined to hold her ground and kept eye contact with the young Malfoy.

Draco shook his head and continued "Do as you wish Granger, but as you noticed, my father is very sadistic and he isn't above calling in other Death Eaters to rape a mudblood as a punishment."

This visibly shocked Hermione. She knew that Lucius was preparing to take her by force, but she never really realized where that could go.

"They will need to use a body binding curse for me to go along with it."

Draco started laughing. "If my father would have wanted to just punish you he could have just used the Cruciatus curse. He likes to get his hands dirty. What's the fun in petrifying you when he'd derive so much pleasure in physically overpowering you and feeling you writhe underneath him. He WANTS you to fight him 'every step of the way,' so he can beat you down until you lose the will to live."

"And when I do?"

"He'll be happy to put you out of your misery."

Hermione opened her mouth to make her rebuttal, but her eyes started swelling up with tears. She couldn't speak, as she felt she lost the ability to breathe. What had happened? Why did she have to land in the Malfoy household?

"Hermione," Draco said, realizing she had become overly emotional. "I need an answer for my father. Will you obey our every command?"

Hermione pulled herself together, looked Draco in the eyes and uttered "No. I'd rather die."

Draco laughed a nervous laugh "Granger, you either must be the dumbest mudblood there is or you have an uncontrollable death wish."

"What is it Draco, afraid you'll miss me?" she said with a fierce fire burning in her eyes.

"I hate losing my toys." He said trying in vane to keep the upper hand.

"Draco," Hermione smiled, "if you really only consider me a toy, you aren't man enough to know what to do with me… maybe your father is right to teach you."

Draco was furious, and with a crack he apparated out of the dungeon.

Finally Hermione was alone. Her bottom was raw. She couldn't sit but she didn't have the energy to stand either. She stayed on her side, laying frightened. Lucius was soon going to apparate into the dungeon to use her to pleasure himself. As she looked about the room for something to defend herself, her eyes swelled with tears and she began to cry. Her cries soon became loud sobs as Hermione let go of all her emotions.

"Why?" She cried "Why am I here? Why is this happening to me?" She pounded her hands on the ground, and then dug her nails scratching at the stone floor. "This isn't fair, it just isn't!"

"Don't cry" a little voice said from the wall with the chains.

"Who's there?" Hermione yelled startled. There was a moment of silence "I said who's there? Answer me!" again no one spoke. She started crying again "whoever you are, know that I will not stand still, and will fight you until I die!"

From the wall, a grey transparent figure came gliding through. It was the ghost of a young girl. She looked to be around 11 years of age, but her face was grave and aged. Her hair was long and it flowed down to her elbows. Hermione's strength was leaving her again.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked the ghostly girl.

"Nikki." Hermione looked at her puzzled as she noticed she was wearing muggle clothing. "It's short for Nicoletta."

"You still haven't answered my question." Hermione took a long deep breath and tried to stand up but as she did, she felt weak and fainted back down to the floor.

"Oh dear…" said the ghost. Nikki then rose from the spot she was floating on and disappeared into the ceiling. She was very careful to remain within the confines of the walls as she rose to the upper levels. She traveled quietly between ceiling and floor until she arrived at the wall she was looking for and stuck her head through it. She quickly retreated back into the wall with a squeal as a silver ball came levitating into her head.

"Nikki!" Draco reprimanded her. "How many times will I have to tell you before you learn? Announce yourself before you come gliding in. Mother could have been in my room, or worse yet, Father."

Nikki's face popped back into the room, "Or Pansy" she said with a mischievous smile.

Draco's eyes widened as his cheeks turned bright red. He looked both embarrassed and angry but he quickly composed himself and continued levitating his ball. "If there is anything you need Nikki, make it quick, I am not in the mood to play childish games."

"And you say that while playing a sedentary version of Aingingein?" Draco was sitting in a chair by his desk with his wand in his hand. He'd been levitating a silver ball through a series of moving flaming hoops that appeared out of thin air. This was a game meant to be played on broomsticks, but Draco enjoyed playing it when he was frustrated and needed an outlet. Directly in front of him was his bed. It was an elegant and very large four poster bed with deep purple curtains adorning the top of it. The bed was covered in hunter green satin sheets that peaked out of the purple silk cover. It was a bed fit for a prince. A Persian rug covered the beautiful inlayed wood floor what seemed never to have been walked upon. There was a bookcase with a few school books, and an open doorway led to Draco's bathroom. Nikki moved her translucent body through the wall into Draco's room.

"It's the girl in the dungeon." She said a little distressed.

"What about her?" Draco sighed.

"She's fainted again."

"And what pray tell, would you like me to do about it?" He asked her indignantly.

"Draco, she's hungry and dehydrated. How long has it been since she's eaten? She needs some sustenance or she may die."

"She wants to die."

"Draco, I know you. You don't want her to die." Nikki could see that he was wavering in her favor. "Draco, She needs you."

"She doesn't need me." He interrupted abruptly. "She's never needed me." He almost seemed bitter as he said it.

Nikki smiled and "I have never seen you this affected by a girl before, Draco."

Draco seemed almost offended at her comment, how dare she speak to him that manner "I am not at all affected by her," he stated calmly, "now go away and leave me alone."

"Drac-"

"I said, LEAVE!" he yelled as he hurled the levitating ball straight at her. Nikki didn't' flinch, she just shook her head as the ball was levitating inside it. She turned on her heels and went back into the wall.

Draco charged the wall she disappeared behind and punched it so hard his hand hurt. He turned and fell onto his bed, laying down and looking at the ceiling. His ceiling was painted full of Doxies, Fairies and Pixies frolicking in marshland. He laid there, staring at the creatures attacking each other and flying around. He thought of Hermione, her body laying unconscious on that cold dungeon floor. He got angry with himself. He could not to get her face off of his mind. He sat up in his bed and let out a groan of frustration. He slowly ran his fingers through his hair and tugged at the roots. He looked up with his eyes closed and almost against his wil,l he yelled "Boffy!"

Suddenly there was a crack and the house elf appeared before him. "I want a plate with a little of everything that was on the dinner table, a glass of water and a glass of pumpkin juice. Also a plate of the desert I didn't even get to see." Draco stood up and walked to his desk, he pulled out some paper from the desk and realized Boffy was behind him staring intently at his every move. Draco turned suddenly and reprimanded the elf. "Am I speaking Parseltongue? What are you waiting for?" The house elf seemed stunned and then quietly said "Beggin' the young master's pardon, Sir, but why woulds the young master need more food?"

Draco's eyes became large and stern. "I do not need defend myself to my family's house elf." He then spoke to himself, but loud enough that Boffy could hear. "Some mudblood filth ruined my dinner and I need to make excuses to the sodding elf."

"Boffy is sorry, Boffy will go to the kitchen and slam his nose in the cupboard as punishment," The elf responded.

"Do you really think that would be enough punishment for a house elf who questioned his master?" said Draco.

Boffy stepped back and thought out loud, "Boffy will slam Boffy's head on the table while stabbing Boffy's hands with forks."

"Fine. Now bring me my dinner first and I will call you tomorrow to come and pick up the plates."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, sir." And with a snap of his fingers, Boffy made a tray appear on Draco's bed. It contained a plate containing a serving on the pasta, a serving of the pork roast and a bread roll. Next to it a small plate with a slice of chocolate and caramel cake. Finally there were two glasses; one containing water and the other one containing pumpkin juice. "You may leave now, Boffy and don't bother me until I call" and with a pop the house elf disappeared. Draco pointed his wand at the bed, and said "Accio Tray." The tray came flying towards him, and as he caught it, he apparated out of his room and into the dungeon.

There she was, laying unconscious on her side. He rested the tray on the ground beside her and knelt by her side. He cautiously raised his hand and lowered it to her face. He slowly moved back a strand of hair that was covering her eyes. He slowly and delicately caressed her face and he ran his fingers over her hair. As much as he was trying to fight it, the corner of his mouth raised and he sort of smiled. He ran his finger over her lips and wished his lips were doing it instead. He remembered this young woman when she was just a girl, not yet comfortable in her own skin. She was so very beautiful.

"I knew you would come down to help her"

Draco didn't even bother turning to see Nikki floating in.

"I don't want her to know I brought her food."

"What will you tell your Father?"

"I'll lie, what else. I am going to bring her to, and then apparate back to my room. Can you make sure she gets some sleep? She's going to need to be rested."

"Of course" Nikki said with a smile.

Draco brought the fresh pumpkin juice up to Hermione's mouth and forced a little in it. As Hermione started coughing, Draco quickly placed the glass back on the tray, glanced at Nikki then brought his right index finger over his lips and apparated out of the dungeon.

She opened her eyes and looked around for what woke her. She suddenly saw the tray and before Hermione thought out how it appeared beside her, who could have brought it or where it came from, her fingers were in the food lifting it and bringing it to her mouth. Her hands and mouth were covered in the creamy pasta sauce, she so fervently had desired at the family's dinner table.

"Hungry, weren't you?" Nikki said as she entered from her wall. "I could tell you were starving." Hermione watched her come towards her, and her eyes squinted a little as she did every time she was thinking hard about something. She wanted to ask questions, but she was just too hungry, and she wanted to eat as much as she could, before someone would show up to remove the tray.

"As I was saying, my name is Nicoletta, but I go by Nikki," the ghost said. Hermione waved, but continued eating without a word.

"Please try to stay clean, if someone finds out you were given food, and not just a little bread and water…" Nikki stopped herself, thought a moment and then continued "well, they won't be happy."

Hermione pretended not to notice what she was saying, she was finally becoming satiated with the food. Her breathing became more regular and she finally felt as if she could rest without the feeling of death taking her over. She sat back, really took in the room and sighed.

"So," Hermione looked at Nikki "How long do you think I have until someone comes down and kills me?"

Nikki looked down, "Wouldn't know… Let's talk about something else."

"Do you know where my friends are? Harry Potter? Ginny or Ronald Weasley?" Nikki shook her head 'no'. "Neville? Luna? Anyone?" Again, Nikki shook her head.

"I'm sorry, the only people I see are those who come to the dungeon and Draco." Hermione looked as if she were going to start crying again so Nikki tried changing the subject on her own. "You know my name, but I've only heard you called 'Granger.' Is that your name?"

"Well, It's my surname, my first name is Hermione. Hermione Granger."

"Pleased to meet you Hermione Granger, I'm Nicoletta Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked incredulously. "You're a Malfoy?" She thought that such a sweet ghost was probably some other muggle-born witch Lucius had tortured and killed. It never crossed her mind that the ghost would be a relative of Draco's.

"Was a Malfoy, I'm a ghost now."

"Are you Draco's…" she looked at Nikki who resembled nothing of the Malfoys.

"Cousin." Nikki said proudly. Hermione was quick thinking, so she realized that for the girl to be a Malfoy, her father would have had to have the same name and therefore be Lucius' brother.

"Nikki, are you Darius' daughter?" Hermione asked reluctantly.

"Yes, I am. He was the greatest wizard ever… well, before Bellatrix had something to do with it."

As Hermione remembered the painting in the dining room, she was quite surprised by Nikki's statement. "I don't understand. What do you mean?" She asked coyly.

"It's a long story" said Nikki smiling.

"Well, I believe I have all night."

"Well," Nikki floated over to Hermione and wrapped her legs in a sitting position a few inched above the ground beside her. "When father was still in school at Hogwarts he met my mother and they sort of fell in love, or lust, depending on who you ask. Either way I was the product of their union. Mother decided to raise me alone, so soon after she realized she was pregnant with me, she broke it off with father and didn't tell him where she was going. Mother went to a muggle village outside of Hogsmead and married an older man who was a butcher by trade. He provided a good life for my mother and myself, until… well… until he found out I was a witch."

"Didn't he know your mother was one?"

"Oh no, she wasn't a witch… mother was muggle, she had no powers."

Hermione was visibly shocked… a muggle? The Malfoys? Who hated muggles and muggleborn alike? They had a muggle 'disgrace' in their family? "So you're a half blood?" She asked the ghost cautiously.

"Yes. Back to my story, the old butcher told my mother he couldn't have a witch living in his house and told her she needed to make a decision: him or me. Mother was happy where she was, she was taken care of and I was not part of her world, so I don't blame her for trying to be rid of me. She brought me to father and introduced me. Although father was excited to meet me and ready to take me in, he was frightened as well. He hid me in his room and took on my education himself. I learned many things from him in the year I spent with him, you know… before I died. It was my very death and the un-removable portrait of mother that drove him mad and made him into what he is now."

"Wait… the un-removable portrait of your mother? You mean the woman in the painting in the dining room?"

"Yes. When Bellatrix found out father was still pining over her portrait, the portrait of a muggle, she permanently charmed it so it would remain, un-movable, on the dining room wall for his father to see. He tried prying it off by magic, he even tried to pry it off with a muggle crow bar. He tried covering it, but the cover kept flying off and finally, he even tried to burn it down. Even Bellatrix can't take it down, that is, until father dies."

"What does Lestrange have to do with Darius?"

"Bellatrix Black and father were promised to each other ever since their third year at Hogwarts. The families couldn't have been happier." Nikki stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag herself. "When Bellatrix found out she wasn't the only woman in father's life, she decided to track down and kill my mother, then torture my father by permanently installing her portrait in the family dining room. She then finished the job by enlisting the help of Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan Lestrange to bring my father and myself down to this very dungeon. All three of them cast the Imperius curse onto him and made him in turn cast the Cruciatus curse on me. They made him watch me beg him to stop the pain and after what seemed like an eternity, Bellatrix got bored and had him perform the final unforgivable curse on me and watched me die. That's when he turned and became crazy."

"How awful! To be killed by your own father."

Nikki continued her story as if she hadn't been interrupted "The Black family was very upset with the Malfoys. They allowed a muggle to come between this most perfect union. That's why Lucius asked Narcissa to be his bride. To mend the feud between the two pure blood families. Bellatrix then married Rodolphus whom she had been shagging anyway and no one cared that father was driven mad. They just sent him to a wizard hospital in Switzerland and left him there and I will never see him again. So I now hide within the walls and only Draco knows of my existence. For the longest time he thought I was an imaginary friend. No one else knows I am still living within these walls."

Hermione wanted to wrap her arms around the ghost of the girl and hold her until while she cried, but all she could do was ask, "Nikki, why don't you haunt them, you know, to scare them. Why are you in hiding?"

"An 11 year old ghost couldn't scare them. They would just have me exorcized. Do you know what happened to a ghost who gets exorcized?"

"No." Hermione said curiously. She'd read about exorcisms, they didn't sound pleasant but she really didn't know the details.

"There is a plane of existence that overlaps both the world of the living and the abyss of death. When I died, that's were I chose to be and this decision cannot be reversed. I currently exist in the overlap of the world of the living. I am dead so I can't feel anything and nothing can harm me. If they successfully exorcized me, I wouldn't leave this plane. I'd simply become a living being existing in the overlap of the abyss of death. So instead of being dead were everyone else is alive, I would be alive were everyone else is dead. I am told the feeling is similar to being released in space without a space suit and your eyes, brains and internal organs get sucked inside out."

"You mean like a really bad Cruciatus curse?"

"No, you can survive a Cruciatus curse. You wouldn't survive a minute of this, but because already dead, the pain will last an eternity."

"I see" said Hermione and then said reassuringly "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"I had no doubt," Nikki said. "I've heard all about your moral fiber."

"Really? From who?" Asked Hermione.

Nikki quickly changed the subject. "I see you enjoyed your dinner. I miss my sense of taste you know."

"It was very good, please let me know which house elf sent it down. I'd like to thank them." Hermione replied.

"It was no house elf. You are not to be fed until you totally submit to being a slave."

"Then who brought this to me?"

"He made me promise not to tell."

Hermione wasn't the smartest witch in her class for nothing. It wasn't hard to figure out who wouldn't have made her promise if only one person other than Hermione knew of her existence. "Well," she said smiling "You can tell Draco I was very thankful to whoever brought this tray to me." Nikki looked puzzled, but nodded.

"Now please try getting some sleep before Lucius returns, you'll need all your strength tomorrow," the ghost ordered and, as Hermione started to contest, Nikki continued "I'll keep watch through the wall of the entry hall and if 'dear uncle Lucius' returns while you're sleeping, be sure I'll immediately wake you." Hermione smiled, thanked the ghost and closed her eyes as Nikki glided back into the wall and disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke up by the gray light of dawn that infiltrated the small barred window. Nikki hadn't woken her, and because she trusted her, she knew the Malfoys weren't home yet. She sat up and a subtle twinge came from her bottom. The dittany ointment had done its job. Although the pain hadn't completely disappeared she could at least stand without it searing through her legs. She looked to her side and the tray that contained her dinner hadn't moved since she fell asleep. She leaned to it and realized she hadn't finished the pumpkin juice. Hermione lifted the glass and finished off the contents. If she hadn't been so hungry the night before she would have thought of keeping some of the cake for breakfast that morning. She looked at the tray and thought of what would happen to Draco if the tray was discovered in the dungeon, but where could she hide it and yet, why should she be concerned about Draco? Sure, he fed her, but he must have had some other motive. Hermione knew that if he were to chose between himself or her, there was no question whom he would protect.

She was feeling a lot better. She had sustenance, was well rested and was ready to fight for her life. She looked about the room for anything she could use to escape, however she had no idea what that could be. Her search however was quickly interrupted by the crack of someone apparating beside her.

Draco stood tall in the center of the room. He was a far cry from the little boy who had teased her during their first years at Hogwarts. His features were now rugged and sharp, and his eyes were just as grey and cold as his father's, but there was something about him. The boy had grown into a handsome young man, however Hermione would have died before sharing that with him, for he was the enemy.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione spouted quickly.

Draco turned towards her, almost surprised that she was there, and said "I thought you'd be sleeping."

"Isn't that the job of a house elf?" Hermione asked coily.

"Granger, was it not made clear to you that only a Death Eater may apparate around this mansion?" Draco responded impatiently. He pointed his wand towards the tray and said "Evanesco!" to make it disappear.

"Yes, yes, and anyone else needs to be apparated by more than one Death Eater," she said in a dismissive manner. "I noticed that Boffy pops in and out of rooms, so I assumed house elves had special privileges."

"Only Boffy has those privileges, however the charm doesn't comprise the dungeon." Draco answered swiftly.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Hermione, dropping the mask of defiance that covered her face. She was revealing how frightened she was to him and hoping against hope he would take pity on her and release her.

"As you know," he said loudly, as if not speaking to her, but to the walls, "I brought you dinner last night, I will need to cover my tracks."

"I mean keeping me here, as your 'toy' or 'pet.' " she clarified.

"I made a promise to-" he started to say, but she slapped him abruptly on the face.

"I don't care about your Death Eater promises. I'm a person! It isn't right!" she contested and as she raised her right hand again to deliver another blow, he grasped her wrist and brought it down.

"It is MY right!" he said forcibly, "and you forget your place, Mudblood." and he twisted her wrist until she was forced to kneel in front of him.

"Lucius is back," said Nikki's voice from the wall, but the ghost neglected to float in.

Draco kept his grip firmly on Hermione's wrist and kept eye contact. His eyes were so cold they chilled the depths of her heart. The crook of his mouth raised up as he began to undo his trousers and drop them on the floor. The familiar sound of someone apparating into the dungeon was heard.

"Father," he said while pulling up is pants, as if surprised by his father's sudden presence "I didn't realize you'd come home."

"Draco, I see you've made good use of your new toy." Lucius said with a smile. "I must confess, I wasn't sure you would have known what to do with the girl. Next time, engorge her lips and tongue, there will be less biting."

"Yes father," answered Draco obediently and released his grip on Hermione's wrist. "Did you want me to assist you in apparating her to the kitchen?" he asked.

That wasn't what he had in mind, but he had other more pressing matters to attend to. "Draco," he said patiently, "I trust you followed out my orders last night. Make her stand."

Draco hadn't had time to place an Imperius curse on Hermione as he'd planned to do, so he simply said "Granger, stand up!" and prayed for a miracle.

Hermione just wanted to get out of the dungeon, so she did as she was told and stood slowly on her feet.

Draco smiled and hoped he hadn't just imagined it. He looked at his father who was staring at the girl in disapproval. "Next time, Draco," he began to say disappointedly "teach her to say 'Yes Sir' after she's given an order or I will have to take over her training myself. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

Draco looked down and said "I will try harder to please you, father."

Lucius smiled and moved in close to Hermione. "See that you do." he said to his son while circling the girl. "Remember the horse your mother got you for your eighth birthday." As he stood behind her, he placed his hand over her stomach, pulled her towards him and pressed himself into her. "She was a wild mare, and I ended up having to tame her too."

Draco seemed to regress to a child being reprimanded by his father. Lucius released Hermione's stomach and took her right arm. He waited patiently until Draco took her left and the three apparated out.

Once they appeared in the kitchen, Lucius released Hermione's arm and apparated out. Draco then released her and turned toward her. He took his wand and tapped his hand with it "I'm giving you a choice," he said with an air of superiority, "You can either obey us voluntarily, or I can place you under a 24 hour Imperius curse."

Hermione hated the feeling of total submission she had when she was put under the Imperius curse, but she also loathed the entire Malfoy family. This choice wasn't easy in the least, but she opted having control over herself.

"I'll obey." Hermione said resigning herself to being the Malfoy's servant.

"You'll obey… what?" He asked.

Hermione at first didn't realize what Draco was doing. She thought of her conversations with him and then realized, this was his was of asserting himself as his father expected. Usually she would ignore it or have a snappy comeback, but Draco didn't have to give her the choice of being under the curse or not… so she forced out, " I'll obey, Sir."

"Good," Draco responded and started walking out of the room "Oh and Granger?" he quickly turned, "If you step out of line, this choice will never be available again, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal!" She said defiantly. Her tone caused the young Malfoy to sneer at her, which made her throw in a belated "Sir!"

Draco apparated out and once again Hermione was to be at Boffy's beck and call. As she stood waiting for her first order of the day, she realized the head elf wasn't in the kitchen. She looked about, walking through the gigantic room. Finally she saw in a corner the two house elves that had been in the dining room that past evening. One of the elves' nose was smashed in and his hand looked like it had been repeatedly stabbed in several places. The second elf was wrapping the first's head with some gauze.

"What happened to you?" Hermione asked the elf who backed away frightened. "Please, there is no reason to be afraid," she continued "my name is Hermione and I too am a slave."

The injured elf started panicking and yelled "Missus, Mince isn't a slave, Mince is a house elf and house elves can't tell what happened… Mince can't tell-"

"It's alright Mince," Hermione said trying to calm the elf down. "I won't ask again, just know that if you want to tell me you can."

"Boffy would not be happy with Mince if Mince was found talking to the mudblood." the elf continued.

"Oh, I'm sure what Boffy doesn't know can't hurt him." She hinted coily.

"Boffy never hurts." Mince said in disbelief.

"That's not what I meant." Hermione began saying.

"Mudblood," called Boffy suddenly from the other side of the kitchen. He gave an angry look to the other house elves as they scrambled away from where they were perched. "House elves do not need bothering, no they don't. Mudbloods need to remember their place in the home of the master." He reprimanded. "Now follow Boffy, the Mudblood must clean the rooms upstairs."

Hermione obeyed quietly and followed the house elf out of the kitchen and into the dining room. She stole a furtive glance at the paintings on the walls. Darius was staring at Hermione with an evil grin. "I hear you were lucky, girl." He heckled at her, "You won't stay lucky for long!" and began laughing like a hyena. But Hermione's eyes were fixed on the portrait of Nikki's mom. Although she was bent over and had obviously been crying, Lucretia was a strikingly beautiful woman. Hermione kept thinking of Nikki's story and how Lucretia was willing to give her 10 year old daughter to Darius to stay with her muggle husband. She realized she was staring, when the portrait yelled at her, "What are you staring at?" but as Hermione began to answer, she was pulled towards the door by an invisible force that came from Boffy.

They walked out of the dining room and into a hallway. As Hermione walked along the long dark hallway, she couldn't help but look around. She had never seen the way Draco lived. She was used to the Ron's home at the Burrow, and the run down Black home at number 12 Grimmauld Place where she spent a whole summer cleaning. The portraits on the hallway walls were clearly members of the Malfoy family; platinum blonde hair, cold grey eyes and a look of total superiority were unmistakable family traits.

Hermione continued to follow Boffy who was bowing at each portrait as they all ignored him. They arrived at an entrance way with a door on one side and stairs that winded up in a circular pattern. She thought she may be able to make a run for it, but as she approached the door, the collar that had been around her neck started to tighten. She's forgotten all about the magical collar and the binding spell it wielded over her. Boffy sniggered a bit but didn't wait for her to catch up. Hermione ran up the steps, anything to get away from the door and the way it was constricting her collar.

Boffy stopped in front of the first room they arrived to and motioned to Hermione to wait where she was standing. The house elf then disapparated, and left her alone in the hallway. She knew she should probably wait in the hallway, but she was hoping she may be able to find anything to help her escape the Malfoy mansion. She walked into the first room and was shocked at what she saw. Hermione thought that any room in that mansion would be elaborately decorated and lavishly furnished, but this room was even less adorned than the attic in the Burrow inhabited by the ghoul. In the middle of the room there was a large mattress covered in a sheet. And that was all, the sheet was disheveled and the floor was dirty. "This must be Boffy's room," Hermione thought to herself, but House Elves were supposed to be in lower levels and not on the same levels as wizards. Hermione looked at the walls which were painted in dull gray, they seemed stained with something that elves tried in vane to scourgify off. Hermione laid on the mattress hoping she would be swallowed in and transported someone else, but nothing happened. To her surprise however, the bed wasn't comfortable at all, in fact, the floor in the dungeon seemed softer.

She laid her head back and closed her eyes. Ronald's firey ginger hair and deep blue eyes popped into her mind. A single tear came rolling down her face quite against her will but thankfully she was alone and no one could have seen her. As Hermione opened her eyes she noticed a stone out of place in the wall beside her. She pulled herself up and walked towards it. There was something odd about this stone. The walls were stone and all painted gray, however this particular stone seemed to have a green hue to it. Hermione cautiously touched it and the wall behind her started making a mechanical noise and revealed a large shallow stone basin filled with a silvery white fluid. The wall behind it had shelves surrounding the basin, filled with many vials and bottles, each with what seemed to be a white string in a silvery fluid. It was a pensieve.

"Memories." Hermione said to herself. Each vial had a name on it and was neatly place on its shelf in alphabetical order. She quickly scanned the names, looking to see if any of the names were familiar. 'Longbottom, Alice, December 12, 1981' and 'Longbottom Frank, December 12, 1981' were written on two bottles that were melted together into one. Hermione had briefly seen Mrs. Longbottom when she had gone to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to visit Mr. Weasley after Voldemort's snake, Nagini, bit him. Hermione went to remove the bottle from the shelf, but next to it another name caught her eye. 'Malfoy-Volfe, Lucretia, February 14, 1977'

The bottle contained four silvery strings in the same liquid that filled the pensieve. She picked it up and looked at it closely. She looked at the label just to make sure she hadn't misread it. "Malfoy?" Hermione thought as she wondered if this was Nikki's Mother's memory. Almost under a spell, she opened the vial in her hand and tried to let one string drip out into the basin, but two fell out. They started swirling faster and faster, quickly becoming transparent. Hermione couldn't help but look inside the bowl. In its bottom, she saw a train car, and not just any train car, The Hogwarts Express train car. As she leaned in further she touched the surface of the liquid and was quickly transported to the train car. She was sitting next to a girl of about 17 with long dark hair, a worried but happy version of the woman in the portrait. Hermione remembered Harry's tales about Dumbledore's pensieve so she knew she was just a projection of herself in someone else's memory. Hermione sat patiently and watched the nervous girl bite her fingernails. She was dressed in muggle clothing and had her hands crossed over her legs. Her tattered luggage was on the floor in front of her. She seemed to be waiting for something to happen, although Hermione couldn't tell what.

Suddenly a boy who looked like he could have been Draco's older brother started to walk passed the door, but Lucretia stopped him and asked in a heavy Italian accent "Excuse me, do you have the time?" The boy stopped in his track and leaned into the car.

"Depends," he started, "do you have the energy?" The girl smiled and blushed, so the boy walked in the train compartment and continued "Noon, sweetheart. It's amazing, I know all the pretty girls at Hogwarts, but I guess I missed the most beautiful one of all. What's your name?"

"Lucretia," she answered.

"I'm Darius Malfoy," he continued.

He waited for her to acknowledge him, but as she didn't, he said, "You haven't heard of me? If you are a student you must have heard of me. I'm head boy! Are you a transfer student?"

"Yes, yes I am." said the girl visibly nervous by this line of questioning.

"What school did you attend?" Darius continued.

"You wouldn't know it. It's in Italy. Excuse me." She said and tried to leave the compartment.

"Locomotor Mortis!" he said pointing his wand at her and she froze on the spot.

"How did you do that?" She asked frightened.

"The question is, how did a muggle get on the Hogwarts express?" he asked hitting his palm with his wand.

"How are you doing this, how can you be doing this?" She said scared beyond reason.

"Answer my question, muggle." He said pointing his wand at her.

"Please, let me go. Please." She pleaded in tears.

"Not before you answer my question." He emphasized.

"Please, I don't know what this is or where it's going… I just wanted to leave King's Cross." She started crying uncontrollably and Darius seemed suddenly aware of how he was making her feel.

"Lucretia, it's alright. I won't hurt you." He started to say reassuringly, but she wasn't listening, she just continued crying.

"Last year, I ran away from my orphanage in Italy and came to find a way to live in London. I found Marcus who was willing to take care of me in exchange for sexual services to him and his friends." She sobbed again. "A few days ago I refused and he kicked me out, but not before I could take some money out of his wallet. I bought a ticket to South Hampton and from there I plan to take a ship to America." She continued between hiccups and sobs. "I arrived here, but Marcus found me and demanded his money back. So I ran." Her beautiful face was now soaked in tears. "I ran through the station, and I stopped to catch my breath. I leaned on the solid barrier between platform nine and ten, and fell through. I couldn't figure out how to get back so I boarded the train hoping I could get off at the next stop." And she cried even harder into her hands.

"Finite Incantetum!" He said pointing his wand at her feet. She fell into his open arms and seemed to cry even more. He held her tightly and combed her hair with his fingers.

Hermione was flabbergasted, but quietly continued to watch the two memories.

"I'm sorry, please stop crying." He said tenderly. "I truly just wanted to find out how you got on the train, I didn't mean to make you cry."

She continued to sob, limp in his arms. "But you called me a bad word."

"What? You mean, Muggle? It just means non-magical person."

Lucretia looked puzzled, but Darius continued "I'm a wizard. This train is filled with witches and wizards going to school to learn how to use our magic."

"You… you're a wizard?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes, in my last year at school, I'm head boy. I assume you know what that means…?"

"Yes…" she continued.

"I am going to have to obliviate you now." He said sitting down.

"No please don't," she started to say frantically, misunderstanding Darius' meaning.

"No, Lucretia, I mean-" he started to say, but she interrupted him.

"I'll do anything," and she pleaded kneeling in front of him. Hermione could tell Darius was thinking of what Lucretia had just told him with much pleasure.

"Anything?" He asked coyly.

Lucretia looked down towards him as her eyes swelled with tears again, and nodded.

Suddenly, Hermione felt as if her whole body was whirling in the pensieve, everything went black and she felt sick to her stomach. When the feeling of nausea stopped, Hermione found herself standing before the door of a closet while a young Draco, maybe from first year, was sitting on the bed in front of her, admiring his shoes.

"Lucius!" said the familiar voice of Darius. The young boy Hermione thought to have been Draco stood up and looked as if he was standing at attention.

Darius walked out of his bathroom toweling his silky blonde hair. His body was covered only by a towel that barely went around his waist, water droplets from the shower still glistening on his skin. Hermione couldn't help but stare at him.

"Now tell me again Lucius, exactly what happened." He said calmly as he was walking towards the mirror by the bed, still toweling off his blonde hair.

"Well, this other boy, he took it. He just took it from my hand." He said rubbing his feet together while being surveyed by his big brother, "and now he won't give it back." His voice started to crack as his eyes began to turn red and wet.

"So you are telling me you lost the Ring of Malusvitae?" Asked Darius, in a calm but somewhat menacing voice.

"Not exactly, this 5th year has it, and he won't give it back." Started this young Lucius, as he let a tear trickle down his face.

Darius turned around disgusted. "You're a Malfoy" he said putting gloves on his hands, "I suggest you act like one."

Lucius backed away frightened, but then said, "I don't know what to do. If father finds out, he'll kill me."

"And it would serve you right, that ring's been in our family for centuries. Father didn't give it to you for it to get lost here. I suggest you go back to the boy and demand it back. Let him know you are a Malfoy, and no one takes what is yours." Darius said and opened his door to the hallway.

"But Darius, you're head boy, can't you tell him to give it back to me?"

"I could Lucius, but what will that teach you? Do you remember the curse I taught you this summer?" The young boy nodded. "Use it. Now go." Darius said while pushing him out just as the boy was about to plead with him.

Darius stood by the door for a few minutes listening intently to something. Hermione looked around, she remembered she was in Lucretia's memory, not Darius'. So why was Lucretia nowhere to be found? Darius suddenly walked towards the closet door Hermione was standing in front of, and with a quick movement he thrusted his hand through her stomach and grabbed the handle. As he slowly opened the door, to Hermione's complete horror, Lucretia's bound naked body appeared.

Hermione backed away in shock as Darius moved back to admire his bound beauty. Her fingers were bent down into her palms and her wrists, raw from rope burn, were tied together above the bar that was to be used to hang clothing. She was raising her head from its resting position in the nook between her shoulder and neck. He had used his Slytherin tie to gag her, by placing it in her mouth and around her head. There was a collar adorning her neck and clamps over her nipples. She had a black rope that wrapped around her breasts, followed a "V" line down between her legs and then went back up to her collar. Her ankles were tied together and she was standing on the tips of her toes.

Darius sat on his bed and smiled at Lucretia who was not looking directly at him. He aimed his wand at the rope on her wrists and said "Diffindo." The ropes magically were cut and Lucretia fell to her knees.

To Hermione's surprise, Darius ran to her side and asked her "Are you alright?"

The bound girl nodded.

"Maybe we should stop?" He asked, but she shook her head and with one sweeping move he scooped her into his arms, carried her to his bed and delicately placed her on it. "I believe I'm your Master," he clarified "so when I say we stop, we stop." He slowly began covering her body with kisses and with his wand, began severing her bindings, all but her gag.

Darius touched his tie, which was still in her mouth. "I am not removing this, not yet." He said smiling at her. "I don't want you to have to say it if you don't feel it."

Lucretia looked at him in confusion. "I love you, Lucretia." He started saying uncomfortably, while her eyes widened in shock. "You don't need to say anything. Not now. Not ever. Know I will not be just 'having sex' with you, I will be making love to you. From now on."

Hermione suddenly felt a small wirey hand on her shoulder and a small voice said "Enjoying yourself, mudblood?"

Hermione was pulled out of the pensieve, certain she was to be punished, but was surprised to see an aggravated Boffy standing by her.

"Filthy mudblood! Now I have to clean up this mess before Madam Bellatrix returns." He said nervously. Hermione was sure the house elf didn't want to the death eater to discover he had left the muggle born girl unwatched by her room. Boffy would never let anyone know what Hermione had done.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time she had finished cleaning the 9 bathrooms in the Malfoy mansion, Hermione's hair was damp and filthy from a mixture of dirt and sweat. She smelled like she had rolled around in a bowl of rotten eggs. Even Boffy couldn't stand the smell she was emanating.

All of a sudden, Boffy looked angry, rolled his eyes and vanished. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the floor to rest. She knew he'd been called by someone in the house and would leave her alone for at least a few minutes. She kept thinking of the pensieve and what she saw in its contents. She wanted more than ever to tell Harry and Ron about all the different bottles and vials neatly placed on the shelves, obviously trophies from all of Bellatrix's victims. Hermione tried to run her fingers through her bushy chestnut hair, but the sweat had caused her already tangled hair to become even more tangled. Her face was dirty and shiny, her legs were weak and tired, her hands were scuffed from cleaning and under her nails a layer of soot had congealed. She was holding a cloth that had been used to clean every part of the Malfoy's bathrooms, the muggle way.

Just as Hermione started to get back the feeling in her legs, Boffy reapparated in front of her.

"Your services are requested in the sitting room. Follow Boffy now." He said curtly as he took the dirty rag out of her hands.

Boffy walked down steps and hallways followed by Hermione who was hissed at by various portraits of older generations of Malfoys. They arrived at the sitting room door. Boffy knocked on it, gave the muggleborn witch a smirk, and disapparated.

Suddenly the door opened on it's own. If Hermione had still been at Hogwarts, she would have believed she was in the Slytherin common room. Gregory Goyle was sitting on the couch and Pansy Parkinson was lying with her head on his lap, having him play with her dark hair. Vincent Crabbe was sitting on the arm of the couch, showing a slight annoyance that his friend was paying so much attention to Pansy. In a chair was a stringy Slytherin boy, whom Hermione knew was a death eater's son and in their year. Theodore Nott was his name and although he was a Slytherin, he'd never done anything to upset the Gryffindor trio. Beside him, sitting on the floor, with her head resting on his knee, was Daphne Greengrass, a pure blood witch who was also in Slytherin. Standing by the fireplace beside the door, with his hand on the mantle, looking down in the flames, was Draco Malfoy.

"Ahhh, there you are, Mudblood" said Pansy lifting her head from Goyle's lap. "Draco, she's filthy! Is that how you treat your toys?" she asked him.

"Pansy, it is no longer any concern of yours what I do and do not do with her." He responded curtly, not moving from his position.

Pansy who seemed visibly upset she was talked to in such a disrespectful manner in front of the help, looked at Goyle who smiled at her. This seemed to ease her anger. She smiled back and continued with her taunts towards Hermione. "Get me a butterbeer." She ordered her as she laid right back into Goyle's lap.

Hermione just stood there, trying to keep her head high and not saying a word.

"I said, get me a butterbeer." Pansy said sitting back up. She stared at Hermione who remained motionless. "Butterbeer, you stupid girl!" But as she realized Hermione was being defiant, she smiled and laid back. "You know Draco, my Greggy could help you train her, I mean if she can't even take a simple order…"

Before Pansy could finish her sentence, Draco turned to Hermione and his hand shot towards her neck before she knew what had happened. He stood with his back towards the other Slytherins holding her neck tightly and shooting her a sideways glance with those piercing grey eyes. "Tell her," Draco started in a low voice, "Tell her why you won't get her that butterbeer."

Hermione tried to say something, but she couldn't get air in her lungs with Draco's hand gripping her neck. He finally released his hold and her mouth opened, but although the voice was hers, the words weren't. "I will only obey Draco." She said in a very monotone voice.

Hermione couldn't understand how she could have said that, but the feeling of surprise was quickly replaced with a feeling of rage. She looked to Draco and noticed he had his wand out, but as he had been facing away from the group, they couldn't see it.

Suddenly Draco's voice resounded in her head saying "Do as I say, or

I - will - make - you" but his lips didn't move and it seemed no one, other than Hermione, heard him.

"Now, go get us all butterbeers." Draco ordered out loud. Hermione stood still, anger building inside her. Should she stay where she was and make a stand to Draco risking being placed under the imperius curse, or should she plainly do as he told her? She heard Pansy giggling at something Goyle whispered to her, and immediately had an idea. Draco began raising his wand, but before he could perform the curse, Hermione curtsied to him and said with a smile "Your wishes are my command, Master."

She then turned on her heels, walked out of the sitting room and hurried towards the kitchen smiling all the way. Once she arrived, the house elves were working on dinner. Hermione began to search for the butterbeers, along with ashwinder eggs, horned slugs and lovage.

Hermione had no trouble finding the butterbeers, the lovage and the ashwinder eggs as they are items commonly found in any witch's or wizard's kitchen.

She placed six butterbeers she took from the refrigerator on a tray she found in a cupboard. She then took a seventh, and turning her back away from the house elves, she emptied its contents into the nearby sink. Very delicately, she removed from the Malfoy's freezer two ashwinder eggs. Just as delicately, she quickly broke the eggs and separated the very flammable yolk from the rest of the runny grey matter, which she dripped into the now empty bottle. Running the cold water, she dropped the yolk into the sink and watched it drain down.

She then opened the fridge again and opened the vegetable compartment where she found the lovage. "_Levisticum officinale_" she thought to herself, remembering the technical name Professor Sprout called this herb. Hermione quickly crushed it with the bottom of the butterbeer bottle she'd filled up with the ashwinder eggs. Finally, the herb was soft and wet. She proceeded to take the herb in her fingers and squeeze its juices into the bottle.

Where to find the horned slugs? She knew at once she would never be allowed in the Malfoy's potions cabinet, so she did the only thing a girl in this situation could do. She began to cry.

Immediately the two house elves who were preparing dinner stopped what they were doing and went to see what was wrong. Still in tears, she started, "It's so embarrassing, I don't want to bother you." The house elves began consoling her and reassuring her that they would never make fun of her. "You don't understand, I have… well… I have something horrible. The only thing that helps, is rubbing horned slugs on it."

The house elves didn't seem very convinced, but Hermione kept on crying louder and louder.

"Don't cry, Missus. Boffy will come and punish Mince and Tinky." The first house elf said.

"I'm sorry Tinky" she said between sobs, "I just… I just…" and then broke out in tears again.

"Mince can get horned slugs, Missus." The second house elf reassured her, "Mince WILL get the horned slugs for Missus." And the house elf ran out of the kitchen.

Hermione continued sobbing a little, while the other house elf was consoling her. Mince returned with three horned slugs and ran straight to Hermione with them. "Missus, Mince found them, Mince found horned slugs, Missus."

She smiled and bent down to hug the little house elf who blushed wildly. "Thank you, Mince." She told him. "Thank you, please do not tell anyone about this, I don't want the Malfoys knowing of my… problem. Can I count on you?"

"Yes Missus, Mince won't tell." said the house elf, still blushing. "Tinky won't tell either!" said the other. Hermione stood and noticed that both house elves were watching her. She took a few steps closer to the sink, and the two house elves did the same. Hermione took the tray and walked to the cutting table with it, but noticed out of the corner of her eye, both Tinky and Mince did not return to cooking dinner.

"Isn't Missus going to heal herself?" Asked Tinky curiously.

"Well, my… problem… is in a very private place. I am going to take these to the sitting room and, on the way, I'll stop by the first floor bathroom and take care of it then." She told them hoping they'd believe her.

"Missus shouldn't be shy. Tinky's a female house elf. Tinky has helped birth babies. Tinky would help, Tinky would be happy to help Missus." The house elf told her eagerly.

Hermione smiled nervously and said "Thank you Tinky, really, it means a lot to me, that you would do that. Really. But I think I will need to do this on my own, it's very embarrassing."

She took the tray as she was talking and began walking toward the hallway. "Really, Tinky," she continued "I do appreciate the thought." And with that, Hermione took her leave.

She walked down the dark hall while the portraits, apparently not tired of calling her names, started making fun of her garments. She ignored them and held her head high as she walked towards the bathroom determined to see her plan through to the end.

Arriving at the first floor bathroom, Hermione opened the door and quickly closed it behind her. She took the horned snails and placed them on the marble of the sink. She quickly realized she had nothing to cut the snails with to extract the green blood. She needed to return to the sitting room soon, as she'd been gone for quite some time now. She took one of the butterbeers walked out of the bathroom and smashed it against the floor. She quickly took the largest piece of the broken bottle into the bathroom with her, locked the door behind her and began chopping the snails. The green blood began oozing out and she quickly captured it into the now darkened bottle. Hermione opened each butterbeer and dripped some of the mixture she had created into each. She disposed of the bottle she used to mix the ingredients and came out of the bathroom to find Tinky on his hands and knees picking up each piece of broken glass and mopping up the remaining butterbeer.

"Tinky, I… I am sorry, I dropped it. I had to come to the bathroom so badly, I ran, and it fell off the tray, I was going to get another." She lied carefully.

"It's all right, Missus" said the house elf. "Tinky will clean it and Mince went to get another butterbeer for Missus to bring to the young Master and his friends."

The other house elf came running up with a butterbeer in his hands and placed it on the tray Hermione was holding. He gave her a quick and sincere smile, which Hermione returned pleasantly.

Hermione left the house elves to their cleaning, and walked quickly to the sitting room door. She gently knocked on the door. "Enter" she heard Pansy say. She entered the room and placed the tray of butterbeers on the coffee table in front of the couch. She quickly grabbed the bottle that didn't have the potion she'd mixed in and handed it to Draco. "Here you go, Master." She said with a smile.

Draco took the bottle out of Hermione's hand. He looked at her and realized there was something she was hiding from him. He put it down by his side. "Somehow I am no longer thirsty." Draco said loud enough for everyone to hear him.

Hermione turned and noticed Pansy, Goyle, Daphne and Crabbe, who had had picked up their bottles, lowered them slowly examining them. Nott didn't seem to want a drink and was sitting on the chair looking up at the ceiling. Hermione rolled her eyes at them "Come on!" She said in exasperation, "For crying out loud!" she said and took Draco's butterbeer and downed half of it in one gulp.

"See?" Hermione said triumphantly.

"I knew she wouldn't have the guts to poison our drinks." Pansy said to Daphne triumphantly. Both of them took a sip of their drinks, as did Crabbe and Goyle, but Nott sat in the chair quietly as he gave Draco a knowing look.

Hermione smiled, but Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"What did you put in their drinks?" He whispered in her ear.

"All you need to be concerned about, is that yours wasn't spiked."

Pansy gave a scream as she looked at Goyle. "Greggy!" she screamed "Your face! You're breaking out in hives!"

Gregory Goyle's face had started to swell up with three large, pus filled bumps. His skin was red and transparent, and his already large features were grossly accentuated.

"You are too!" Screamed Daphne, as she saw her friend turn around. Pansy started feeling the bumps on her face and began crying. Daphne touched her own face and felt them as well. Daphne wanted to rip Hermione's hair out, but joined Pansy crying her heart out instead.

"What did you do to us, Mudblood!" Screamed Crabbe, as he too could feel the bumps on his face.

"Instead of calling other people names, I'd run and find some bubotuber pus if I were you, before they become permanent scars," laughed Hermione.

"Daph, take Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle back to the house." Nott instructed his girlfriend. "Tell Weeny to get the bubotuber pus from father's potion closet and have her take care of you and Pansy first, then the girls."

"But Pansy and Daphne are the girls" interjected Goyle not understanding that he and Crabbe were just insulted.

"I know," said Nott in a snigger, "Anyway Daph, you better go now, I don't want you to be scarred by this. You know I will not tolerate an ugly girlfriend and I just don't feel like looking for another pure blood girl to mate with."

"There is always Pansy" said Crabbe, again staring at Goyle and Pansy holding each other.

"I do not take anyone's leftovers." Nott said, purposely not looking at Draco. "Now go!"

Both Daphne and Pansy seemed too upset to discuss their love lives at the present moment. Daphne and Crabbe ran out of the room followed closely by Goyle who was still holding Pansy in his arms.

"Draco," said Nott turning towards Hermione "I would never assume to tell you what to do with her, but I expect she will be punished."

"Of course she will, Nott" responded Draco "However, understand that, type of punishment, gravity and length is up to me and me alone. I report to no one."

"…except for the Dark Lord." Nott said with a smirk.

"Of course," responded Draco, containing his anger, "Except him."

Malfoy looked at Hermione and smirked, "You must admit, though, she is smart."

"I'd say quick thinking," Nott corrected him. "However, I don't understand, why you had a clean bottle, and the rest of ours were poisoned, as I assume my own was poisoned as well. She must be most angered by you, I would assume you of all of us, would be the most obvious target of her malice."

Hermione wanted to say it wasn't on purpose, she'd meant for all of them to have a poisoned bottle. She had to break one bottle to cut up the horned snails, and then there were the house elves. But as she looked at Draco, who seemed so proud of her, she simply said, "I would never poison my Master."

Master? Why she used that particular word, she didn't know. She supposed it was because she knew Draco held a wand under his robes and could hex or jinx her at any moment… but no, it wasn't like her to be scared of Malfoy. Could he have controlled her voice again? Or did she actually… no, she couldn't have. She wouldn't have. What would Harry think? Or worse, what would Ron think?

Nott had been looking at Hermione as if disgusted by her voice and with his eyes fixed on her, he said "Draco, far be it from me to tell the Dark Lord's favorite death eater how to train his slaves, but I do believe rule one is they should only speak when spoke to. I know the rules of the protective charms on your dungeon, would you like me to assist you in bringing her down there?"

"That will not be necessary," Draco said, now visibly angry. "She still has chores to finish and I know you must be so worried about Daphne," he said condescendingly. "After all there aren't many other pure blood girls our age, and even less that would follow you around like a dog in heat."

Nott smiled reluctantly and started making his way out of the sitting room. "Same time tomorrow?" He asked Draco as he was walking toward the door. Draco nodded. He was almost outside it when he turned towards Draco and said "Must be hard to see Pansy so enamored with Goyle…" He looked away, but continued. "but probably not as hard as knowing he satisfied her where you failed." The sitting room door slammed as Theodore Nott exited, getting in the last word.

Hermione watched Draco. His glassy grey eyes were fixed on his shoes, his right hand was clenched in a fist over his leg and his left was putting his wand back into place.

"Uhmm… are you alright?" Asked Hermione cautiously.

"Yeah." Draco answered, without looking up. "What did you put in their drinks?"

"I read once, in 'Advanced Potion Making,' that if you mix any amount of alcohol with the Horned Snail Love Potion, horrible boils will appear on the drinker's face and genitals." Hermione admitted.

Draco let out a quiet little laugh, which was more that she had seen him do in years.

"I'm… I'm sorry?" Hermione said, a bit unsure what to say to him.

Draco smiled again and said, "No you are not, and being sorry is not something you ask permission for."

Hermione blushed "I wasn't. I just…" she then swiftly changed her tone of voice and said "I wasn't asking you permission. They are gone, therefore we don't need to keep up appearances."

Draco turned serious as his eyes seemed to penetrate her soul, "Boffy!" he called out suddenly.

Boffy apparated before them, and in an annoyed voice said, "Yes, young Master Malfoy?"

"She is not allowed in the kitchens until all food is made. Take her away and make her finish cleaning something, anything, as long as it is disgusting." He snapped at the elf.

Draco then walked out of the sitting room, and disapparated shortly thereafter, as a faint pop could be heard.

"You are in luck, Mudblood. The family's pet occamy, Scylla, has just vomited all over the garden house." Boffy said motioning Hermione to follow him. As she walked behind him leaving the sitting room, she couldn't help thinking of what her feelings were a few minutes ago, for Draco Malfoy. He was the _enemy_… Wasn't he?


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione had finished cleaning up the garden house with just enough time to serve dinner to the Malfoy family.

The garden house was attached to the Malfoy's mansion, and the small glass windows at the top were open to allow a breeze to ventilate it. The smell of the occamy vomit was horrendous and it just added to Hermione's already pungent odor. Hermione tried again and again to disapparate from the garden house in hopes that this part of the Malfoy property wasn't charmed against witches who weren't death eaters.

Hermione had never seen the basilisk that dwelled in the chamber of secrets or Voldermort's snake Nagini, but she thought even Harry would have been frighted by Scylla, the Malfoy's pet occamy. The large snakelike winged monster looked to be at least 12 feet long and even though it was visibly ill and therefore subdued, Hermione couldn't believe Draco would even go near it. Its two gangly feet were chained by what looked like some enchanted metal.

"Beautiful, is she not?" Said a quiet voice from behind her. Hermione turned with a startled look, only to see Lucius Malfoy strolling into the garden house with his cane and going over to the large cold-blooded monster.

"Even when she is sick, Scylla looks regal enough for an emperor." Lucius walked by the occamy and petted its plumed wing. "I found her as an egg on my travels to India. I brought her home and before I could sell the egg, she hatched. She has been mine ever since. I am the only one who can tame her enough to let one of the house elves take her eggs."

For some reason Lucius reminded her of Hagrid. It was bad enough to have had Norbert for as long as Hagrid had tried to hide him, but to keep a dangerous beast like an occamy until it was old enough to lay eggs? Well, that's just asking for trouble.

Hermione picked up her sponge and bucket and as she raised her head, Lucius had moved from the spot he was standing in. She began slowly turning her head to her right as she felt someone's breath on her bare shoulder. Before she could see who was behind her a hand clamped over her mouth pulling her head back into the assailant's chest. Another arm had wrapped itself around her waist and kept her close.

Suddenly a set of teeth sunk into her neck, ripping into the skin. Hermione screamed under her assailant's hand.

"Someone is quite dirty…" Lucius's voice whispered in her ear as he spat blood on the floor. "It is nearly supper time and you think you can serve us dinner in these filthy clothes?" Lucius released her waist long enough to grab hold of his wand, his left hand still holding her mouth shut and her head still. "Diffindo!" he said. Her top and skirt fell to the ground, leaving her young body fully revealed.

Hermione tried to kick and writhe herself away from Lucius, but his grip on her mouth and head was too strong to overpower.

"Either it is cold in here, or you are enjoying being exposed. I shall assume the latter." Lucius said with a sneer.

"Now, you ungrateful bitch, I will teach you manners to abide by while in the presence of your Master's Father." Lucius' hand that had been on Hermione's bare stomach, was now inching its way, slowly to her breasts. She could see a few droplets of blood from her neck trickle down her chest.

'_Don't cry_,' she told herself, '_Don't let him see he's winning._'

"How dare you go into my personal stores and steal items to take revenge on Draco's friends." His hand grabbed her breast and strongly squeezed it. He then took his index finger and traced the blood droplets back to her neck. From what Hermione could tell, he must have sucked or licked his finger, because he then proceeded to rub her nipples with his wet digits. His fingers tightened over them and pinched her so hard, she screamed again, but his hand muffled it.

"You may scream all you want, mudblood. It only enhances my pleasure. Let me show you." Lucius brought his hand to Hermione's pelvis and pulled her so close to him, she felt his engorged manhood throbbing on her.

Hermione's struggling hands had been clutching at his, trying in vane to pull it away from her mouth, but now she was using them to try to pry herself off of him.

"It is disrespectful to the lord and lady of the house, if their only son's friends do not feel welcomed in their home." He said maliciously, and his hand suddenly went between her legs. Hermione again let out another scream, and although she didn't wish to, a few tears started dripping onto Lucius' hand. Hermione did her best to keep her legs shut, but two of his fingers deeply penetrated her and then pulled out. The motion was repetitive and very painful.

Lucius pulled his fingers out. He then lifted her body by wrapping his arm around her waist and carried her to a table filled with topsoil. He dropped her on it and held her face into the dirt filling the table.

She'd never had sex before. Never. Ron had been gentleman enough to wait until Hermione was ready. She wished now she had been ready. She wished her first sexual experience had been with Ron. Tears were now streaming down her face and her sobs were now audible.

"Please, Mr. Malfoy" she cried, "Please… I've never… not once… please…"

"You must have mistaken me for a wizard that cares. Do you think you are the first mudblood to be deflowered by Lucius Malfoy?" He asked her.

She needed to give him an excuse, to give him a reason for not defiling her. She thought hard and said, "I just wanted to keep myself pure for-."

"Father." interrupted Draco's in a very calm voice. He apparently had been leaning on the corner of the door frame. He then walked in with the same stride his father had, just a few minutes earlier. He kept his eyes fixed on his father 's gaze. Lucius didn't move.

"Son. I was looking for you, earlier." Lucius said. He held his grip on Hermione. She was appalled Draco seemed to not notice her, as if his Father did this regularly. Was he alright with his father man handling her like this?

"The Dark Lord summoned me." Draco answered confidently.

At that, Lucius involuntarily released his grip on Hermione. "Is that so," he tried to say calmly, "My mark didn't glow, it must have been a meeting of Junior Death Eaters."

"Actually," Draco said with a smile, "I was alone. He had a mission for me."

"Did he?" Lucius said with a sneer, "And what mission was that?"

"If he had wanted you to know, he would have called you as well." Draco began walking away and Hermione wanted to scream after him, but he stopped before she could do so, turned and said, "He also wanted to make sure I was enjoying my reward."

Lucius smiled, but looked to the ground and said, "Is that so?"

"Yes," Draco began saying "I told him my father had been preparing her for me."

Hermione realized what Draco's reward was. It was her.

"I see," Lucius said with anger in his voice but with an air of superiority he continued "Did you also let him know you aren't very, shall we say… versed in the enjoyment of a slave."

"I will get more practice tonight." Draco said trying to keep the upper hand. "Mother asked for you to join her in the dining room."

Lucius smirked and pointed his wand at Hermione's clothes lying a few feet away. "Scurgify," he said and the clothes cleaned themselves. With his wand still aimed at her clothing, he said "Reparo," and the severed seams repaired themselves.

"Get dressed and report to the kitchens immediately. I expect there not be a scene like yesterday's to interrupt our meal." Lucius said with a tone of warning.

"Actually Father," Draco said, a little leary of what he was going to say. His father turned and angry look on him, but Draco tried to meet his eyes and continued "I have ordered Tinky to wash the mudblood. I know both you and Mother wouldn't want to be served dinner by her in that condition."

A batlike ear peeked from behind Draco. Slowly Tinky walked around the young Malfoy looking to him for approval. She began picking up the clothing slowly.

Lucius was fuming, his eyes were red with uncontrollable anger and disgust. "Draco, I do not believe the Dark Lord put you in charge of this house and this family. Therefore neither Tinky, nor Mince, and least of all Boffy, are yours to take away from household duties." Lucius clarified.

"Tinky!" Lucius called with authority. "You are to report back to Boffy." The house elves immediately dropped the clothing and ran out of the garden house. Lucius then turned to his son and said "I will have Boffy send something to eat up to you in your bedroom." And with that he turned on his heels and walked out.

After a few minutes in silence, Hermione took her skirt and put it on. She wrapped the fabric for her top around her back, chest and neck, covering herself. She picked up the pail and sponge she dropped during what had happened and walked towards Draco.

She looked at the tall, blonde young man who was looking toward the ground, and said "If you think I'll-"

"Shut up, and walk behind me" he interrupted with the same authority his father ordered Tinky. His eyes pierced right through her, he turned away and walked out.

Hermione followed him quietly. She wanted to yell at him, tell him how upset and scared she was of what his father was going to do to her. And then Draco? She wanted to let him know she would never do those things with anyone but Ron, and least of all him. If he thought she was just going to lie still while he would enjoy her as a 'reward' he had another thing coming! Then it hit her. She realized something she hadn't thought of. How had she become Draco's reward? What had happened the night Hogwarts was taken by the death eaters? And why had Voldemort called upon Draco, and him alone? She remembered Notts words "…far be it from me to tell the Dark Lord's favorite death eater how to train his slaves…" Was Draco Voldemort's new favorite? Harry had told her of what had happened when Dumbledore died. Draco was to kill him, but couldn't so Snape finished the job. Was letting a few death eaters into Hogwarts last year enough to make him the favorite? No, Voldemort doesn't tolerate incompetence. Draco must have done something else to ingratiate himself with his Master. But what?

Hermione nearly bumped into him when he stopped abruptly in front of the door to his room. Draco waved his wand over the handle and the door opened. He walked in first.

Hermione looked in the room and was a little taken aback. She was used to seeing Ron's room, decorated with posters of the Chuddley Cannons, the boys Gryffindor dorm room, with pictures of wizards and witches adorning the walls, or the rooms of her muggle friends in her parents neighborhood, with singers and soccer teams. Draco's room was more adult. It had been decorated with the Slytherin colors as all Hogwarts students do with their house colors, but there was a subtle elegance about it.

"In." Draco said without looking to her.

"No!" She said defiantly.

"Have it your way," he said resigned, pointed his wand towards her and uttered: "Imperio!"

Hermione was forced to walk through the threshold and the door closed behind her. Draco waved his wand over the door and walls of his room mumbling some kind of incantation. Was this it? Was she going to be defiled? Was Draco going to be her first sexual encounter, and was it to be under an unforgivable curse? She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream… but neither she was able to do. She was at his mercy and there was nothing she could do to fight it.


	7. Chapter 7

'_This is it,_' Hermione thought with resignation, '_He is soundproofing the walls and door so no one will hear my screams… not that anyone would come to my rescue.' _She looked at her captor and thought_ 'At least it isn't Lucius._' She almost breathed a sigh of relief, but realized rape is still rape, no matter who was doing it.

Draco walked into the adjoining bathroom where she could make out the sound of a few faint mutterings. Hermione closed her eyes and thought hard of Ron. Would he forgive her? It wasn't her fault, but because she hadn't been ready for him, would Ron be angry he wouldn't be her first?

The thought of his kisses made Hermione choke up with tears. All she wanted to do at this moment was run into Ron's arms and allow him to make love to her as lovers should. Not by force.

Draco walked back into the room and Hermione turned her head to hide her tears now rolling down her cheeks. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing her pain. Of course she wouldn't enjoy it, but neither would she plead nor beg. He wouldn't see her desperation.

Draco pointed his wand at Hermione. "Wait!" she finally said forgetting everything she thought she wanted to do. She didn't want this to happen at all, but especially, not like this. "Please," she said in her most submissive voice, "please, I beg of you, at least remove the Imperius curse. I don't want my first time to be this way."

A smile adorned Draco's face, and his gaze fell to the ground. "Hermione," he began cautiously, "I just removed the Imperius curse, otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to speak."

"Oh…" Hermione said with an embarrassed look. Was he going to rape her without the aid of the unforgivable curse? Or was he not going to rape her at all? She chose her words wisely and said "I just thought-"

"I may be my father's son, Hermione," Draco interrupted very irate, "but make no mistake. I am nothing like him. Do I make myself clear? I am not a 'chip off the old block,' and this 'apple' has fallen quite far from the Family Tree… etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

"Sorry." Hermione said apologetically.

Draco smirked oddly at her. "And what, pray tell, do you have to be sorry for now?" he asked her coyly.

"Well, that I thought you would be capable of it." Hermione explained, "In school you were such a sniveling prat with a dark sense of humor and a malicious disposition-"

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Draco said in a charming sort of way. Hermione couldn't help but let a smile out beneath the dirt and grime coving her face.

"We'll have plenty of time to discuss this later, just know I will not rape you." Draco said, and he looked at her to make sure she understood what he was telling her. She simply nodded and he went on. "Now, I need you to sit on the floor and face away from the door."

Hermione did as she was told without any questions. She didn't understand why, but she felt she was ready to trust him.

Draco quickly removed his robe and shirt exposing his bare chest. He was lean, yet muscular. Not a hair on him. He had broad shoulders, and a thin waist. He could have been a model in muggle magazines, had it not been for several shadows of faint scars on his chest. Hermione couldn't take her eyes off him. Could it be? Was this the scrawny boy she hated so in school? The one who called her names and made her cry?

"Diffindo" said Draco and Hermione's clothes again fell on the floor beside her, as they did when his father spoke the charm, however this time they were in shreds.

"What are you doing?" Hermione screamed, covering herself.

Without answering, Draco pointed the wand at his own face, and said "Sectum Quadra" and four small gashes, the size of small claws, appeared on his face causing some blood to run down to his chest. He reached for Hermione's hand and without looking at her; he rubbed the tips of her fingers on the blood he'd just released. Hermione was fighting against him, pulling her hand away, but he was too strong. He overpowered her. How could she have trusted him? Even for a fraction of a second. What was he into? Some sort of blood fetish?

"I'll explain later." Draco assured her. "Now cry."

Hermione was on the verge of tears, but she wasn't going to cry. Not for him. Not after she trusted him. But Draco could tell what she was thinking, so with a decisive voice he said "Once you hear the crack, you WILL cry. If not by choice, then by force."

_Crack?_ Hermione thought. But before Draco could answer the question a faint crack sounded in the hallway that leaded to his bedroom.

Suddenly it all made sense. Someone had just apparated at the door to his bedroom. Draco turned towards the door and said out loud, "You'll pay for that mudblood, no one scratches Draco Malfoy, no one."

Apparently he hadn't put a silencing charm on the walls and doors, however, he probably put a shield against anyone apparating directly into his room.

Hermione began to cry. Draco looked over his shoulder towards her and she could make out his smile. Her tears, although brought on by a fake situation, were real and true. All she needed to do was think of Harry and Ron.

"That's right," he continued, "Cry… Cry all you want, scream if you must, all that will do-"

A knock interrupted him and he walked decisively towards the door. "This had better be good!" he said opening the door. Boffy was standing there with a tray of sandwiches and two bottles of butterbeer.

Boffy started opening his mouth to speak but Draco quickly interrupted him before he could get a word in, "How dare you interrupt me while I'm teaching?"

"Forgive Boffy Sir. The master told Boffy to bring the young master's supper up to his room," The house elf told him with while trying to look in to the room. "Boffy wasn't able to apparate into young master's bedroom."

"And your disgusting little brain cannot comprehend that I did not want to be disturbed? Nor can it understand you could have left the tray at the door?" Draco said in an angry tone.

"Draco!" Hermione said reprovingly, regretting opening her mouth almost the moment she did. It was mostly force of habit to defend house elves for her, but this was a different story. Lucius had obviously sent Boffy to spy on his son and his… new toy.

Draco turned towards her, grabbed her arm and lifted her to her feet with ease. His cold grey eyes stared right through her brown ones. He had his father's stare, which frightened Hermione. "I told you to call me Master Malfoy!" He said in a loud whisper and with his free hand, he slapped her across the face.

"Forgive me, Master Malfoy," she cried.

He released her arm and she fell to the ground again. She sobbed into her arms covering her face.

"You are not to speak unless I request it! Now go. Prepare my bath, mudblood. I expect you to bathe me, so wait for me in the water. And clean that soot off your body, I will not have my sheets dirtied by your filth." He told her, and pointed her towards the bathroom.

He was menacing, and wasn't to be trifled with. Hermione stood up and walked with her head down towards the bathroom. Draco heard the water spilling into the ceramic pool that was his bathtub.

He then looked at Boffy and said "Now tell me, you vile creature, tell me why I shouldn't kill you as you stand before me."

"The Master told Boffy to deliver the young master's supper to his room. Master was clear Boffy was to put it on the young master's desk." said the house elf with no sign of fear.

"Then do as you were told and leave now." Draco said furiously.

"Yes sir." The house elf replied, in almost a challenging manner. He levitated the tray to the table and gently set it on the wood. "Does the young master need anything else?" Boffy asked coyly.

Draco smiled, and said, "You know Boffy, it is at times like this, I miss Dobby." Draco sighed and Boffy, offended, finally disapparated. He shut the door, which locked behind him, and said, "Muffliato."

Draco looked at the pile of shredded fabric on the ground and pointed his wand at it saying "Reparo!" The garments repaired themselves.

He then knocked at the entry of the bathroom. "He's gone." He said. "I placed a silencing charm on the room, Father will expect it now."

Hermione's voice said "Good… if you'd like to come in, you can."

Draco seemed pleasantly surprised at the prospect. As he walked in, he could only see her head, as the rest of her body was covered in soap suds.

"I've repaired your clothes." Draco said hesitantly, looking down to his feet.

"Is that what those were?" Hermione said smirking, scrubbing off the filth that covered her body.

"It's what the muggle slaves that belonged to past generations of Malfoys wore…" Draco mentioned.

"Hardly easy to clean in…" She said incredulously.

"Easy access..." He told her.

"Ahhh, that would explain it." Hermione said.

"As I was saying, I repaired your clothes, but you are welcome to wear one of my shirts to bed. You might be more comfortable in it." Draco offered.

Hermione was shocked, "Draco, I thought you were going to take me back to the dungeon."

"Do you want to return there tonight? I thought you may enjoy a night in a soft comfortable bed. The only down side is you will need to share it with me."

Hermione looked as if a fire-crab bit her tongue. "You want me to sleep with you?"

Draco smiled, "The bed is large enough so the two of us won't even touch by accident. Plus, if I did want to touch you, I would have done it by now. Not only do I possess the wand, I am stronger and can easily overcome you."

There was no mistake there, he was right. So she agreed to it. What's the big deal, she'll have clothes on. Ron wouldn't have liked it, but he didn't know how uncomfortable the dungeon floor was.

"You might want to turn around." Draco said with his hand at the waist of his pants.

Hermione covered her eyes with her hands but in the slits of her fingers she could still see him removing the rest of his clothing and getting into the bathtub. Hermione quickly moved away from him.

"What do you think your doing?" Hermione asked surprised.

"Bathing." He told her, as if he was annoyed he had to explain the obvious to her. "I have had a long day. This bath is large enough for five of us and the bubbles are enough to shield your 'virgin eyes' from me."

Hermione laughed and nodded with a little resignation.

"We need to discuss ground rules." Draco said.

"Ground rules?" Hermione asked incredulously. "I don't think-"

"You are no position to think." Draco told her. "Cruel as it may seem to you, if you want my protection, you will abide by my rules."

Hermione was ready to challenge him, but Draco headed her off by interjecting, "Unless, of course, you prefer my father's company to mine."

Hermione thought about Lucius and what he would have done to her if Draco hadn't taken her away. "Alright," she started to say, "tell me your ground rules."

"First, you are to do anything I wish you to do, when I wish you to. Second, you will not talk back to me or undermine my authority in any way. Not even in front of house elves." Draco said.

"Alright, I can try to do that." She told him.

"Trying isn't good enough. Understand that if my father senses or hears about you not obeying, he will go to the Dark Lord himself and request permission to help me in your training. And then I'll have no way to protect you."

"Are you really his favorite?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Draco was a little taken back by the fact Hermione had knowledge of this fact, and said, "What most Death Eaters cannot understand is that he has no favorite. The Dark Lord only loves one person. Himself."

"Uhmmm, what kind of mission is he sending you on?" Hermione asked coyly.

Draco laughed out loud. He didn't do it often, but it surprised her whenever he did. "Granger, I won't tell my own father, but you think I'll tell you? Out of curiosity, how did you know that I have been dubbed his new favorite?" He asked her.

"Nott." Hermione told him. The bubbles were starting to die down.

"Ah, yes… now I remember." Draco quickly changed the subject. "That brings me to my third rule. Amusing as this afternoon was, you are never to do that to my friends again."

"Friends? Is that what they are to you?" Hermione asked.

"It is no concern of yours whom I call friends and whom I call enemies." Draco said curtly.

"Are those all the rules?" Hermione asked.

"For right now, I have one last rule. But more may come later. The fourth rule is 'no talking about Nikki.' No one is to know of her existence." Draco said.

It was strange that Draco was so protective of the ghost of a half blood, who haunted their mansion.

"There is no question about the latter. And I will do my best to abide by your ground rules, but in return, I need you to help me escape. I need Ron and Harry to know where I am so they may come rescue me."

Draco's face changed. His eyes were saddened and filled with sorrow. "If you can promise me you will abide by these rules, I'll try to reach Potter or the Order. I cannot make any promises. Owls are supervised, the floo network is monitored… but I will try."

Hermione smiled at Draco, leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Draco couldn't hide his surprise. He sat there staring at her, immobilized by her chestnut eyes. It was like an eternity passed after she kissed him. She seemed surprised as well. He suddenly reached for her head and kissed her full on the mouth, hard. The warmth and passion of his kiss sent chills down her spine and before she realized it, she was kissing him back in turn. Her eyes were closed and his tongue entered her mouth, and she felt like she would melt with his touch. His arms wrapped around her naked, wet body and held her tight as he kept kissing her. Suddenly her eyes opened wide, as if a knife has stabbed her in the back. She pushed him away, and without fear of revealing her naked body to him, she jumped out of the bathtub. She took the first towel she could find, wrapped it around her body and walked into the bedroom.

Hermione was upset, not because Draco kissed her, but because she enjoyed being kissed by him. For one moment, the moment Draco kissed her, the moment she kissed him, she forgot all about Ron. How could she? How could she have betrayed him so?

Draco walked in with a towel wrapped around his waist. "I am sorry." He started. "I didn't mean to upset you. I don't know what came over me. I just… never mind."

Hermione turned to him and without looking in his deep grey eyes, she told him "Don't worry about it; there are two of us at fault." Although she was smiling, her eyes were filled with tears.

She was watching a drop of water slowly descend his chest and dry at the towel line formed at his waist. The ends of his hair were damp with water which caused it to fall on his eyes. Hermione couldn't believe she was thinking it, but Draco was quite handsome.

"So, you aren't regretting it?" He asked with a glimmer of hope in his voice.

"I wouldn't say that." Hermione hesitated a little, but then said, "I'm faithful to Ron… and the 'what he doesn't know won't hurt him' mentality is only a Slytherin way of thinking."

"I see." Draco said, as he looked towards his desk. Changing the subject, he offered, "Have a sandwich."

Hermione still only covered by a towel, went to the tray and began eating one of the sandwiches.

Draco watched her as he went into his closet, where he pulled out a long button down shirt. Draco changed into his sleeping clothes and walked over to his bed. He lay down and watched Hermione eat and drink. He was resting his head back on his hands with his elbows pointing to the side and his legs out straight.

Hermione realized he was watching her and turned towards him. "Is this going to be a problem? I mean, are we going to be awkward around one another?" She asked him.

"We can't afford to. No, we're fine." He answered, and changed the subject again. "I have a shirt for you. You are about Pansy's size and she always wore this when she slept over."

"I see," Hermione said, with a smile. She placed the shirt on the right side of the bed as she finished her sandwich. She then asked "May I ask you a personal question?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, but nodded and said, "As long as you realize I can chose not to answer it."

Hermione ignored him and asked, "Why is it that she's with Goyle? I mean, to go from you to him. I have noticed there is a definite change in him… He's developed somewhat of a backbone."

"Yeah, you'd think Pansy was force feeding him Skele-gro." Draco said jokingly.

Hermione giggled a little at the vision that come into her head, but then went on, saying, "I don't like it."

"Neither does Crabbe." Draco said.

"Once Crabbe gets a girl, he'll be fine." Hermione said, with a knowing smile.

"Didn't you hear? Millicent claimed him last year."

"Bulstrode? You are kidding, right? I didn't think even a goon like Crabbe would like Millicent Bulstrode."

"I didn't say he likes her, I said she claimed him. During the game between Slytherin and Hufflepuff last year, Crabbe was the one who hit the bludger that crushed Rose Zeller's face in. Well, apparently Zeller, unbeknownst to all of us, had insulted Millicent earlier that day. Millicent was going to jump Zeller after the match to put her in her place, but Crabbe incapacitated her and sent her to the hospital wing. Millicent interpreted this as some sort of sign of love. She walked up to Crabbe after the match and told him he was now her boyfriend and walked away."

Hermione looked incredulous, and said, "Well didn't he tell her he didn't want to be her boyfriend?"

Draco smiled "Would you want to be the one to tell Millicent Bulstrode she couldn't have something she wanted and thought she already had?"

Hermione thought of the Slytherin girl she once fought in dueling club, and agreed. "But why wasn't she here today with Crabbe?" she asked.

Draco's eyes went blank, and said, "She's in St. Mungo's. The Weasley girl-"

"Ginny?" Hermione interrupted him, worried about her friend.

"I don't pretend to know all the Weasley's names, but, yes, I believe that's the one." He said curtly, having been interrupted. "She was hexing Millicent, who then decided to cut her losses by starting a muggle fight with her. Well, Millie didn't realize the Weasley girl was a good muggle fighter as well."

"It comes from growing up with six brothers." Hermione said with pride for her friend, who was able to defend herself against a foe as large as Millicent Bulstrode.

"Millicent was very upset she couldn't overtake her, so she ran for it. She was hit by an unliftable hex from a Death Eater, that was meant for Longbottom." Draco said.

"Well, is that what happened to me? I remember running in the hall and then everything went blank." Hermione said.

"You were hit by a strong stunning spell, and you were out cold for a couple of days." Draco told her.

Hermione was very cautiously trying to find the right words to use for the question she wanted to ask, but impatience got the better of her, and she asked abruptly, "Well then, how did I end up here?"

Draco glared at her in a menacing way. Hermione wasn't backing off the question, and waited for Draco to answer.

"You were left behind and became something the death eaters could claim." Draco said very matter-of-factly."

"So you laid claim to me?" She asked.

"No." He answered, to her surprise.

"Was I given to you, then?" She asked thinking of any other reason.

"Sort of. Zabini laid claim to you." He answered.

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Blaise Zabini wanted to take her, a muggle born witch, as a souvenir? "Well, then how did I get here?" She asked him.

"Let's just say I showed Blaise what a real death eater is capable of."

Hermione realized Draco fought to keep her out of someone else's grasps. She blushed as she felt embarrassed he would do that for her, but she was also angry he didn't just bring her to Ron or Harry.

"Is Blaise ok?" Hermione asked.

"Do you really care about that?" Draco asked.

Hermione really could care less about what had happened to Blaise, she just wanted to know what Draco was capable of.

"He's fine. His pride was bruised because I made him cry before his mother and the Dark Lord." Draco said with smirk, and an air of superiority.

"Cry? Blaise cried?" She asked thinking of the tall black boy in tears, beneath Draco.

"You have not felt my real Cruciatus curse. Yesterday when I cursed you it wasn't at full strength. Zabini felt the curse with my full power behind it." He said proud of himself.

Hermione didn't let the knowledge of this intimidate her, "So Blaise isn't a Death Eater?" she asked him.

"The Dark Lord doesn't let just anyone in the club." Draco said half jokingly, and half seriously.

"I thought all the Slytherins were death eaters." Hermione said, generalizing.

"For being the smartest girl in school, you are pretty stupid. Just because we are ambitious and cunning, doesn't mean we're all death eaters. There are only three death eaters considered 'junior'." He told her.

Hermione ignored his casual insults, and said, "You, Nott, and who else?"

"Goyle. Goyle was the one that let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts this time. Between his father and Pansy's, the Dark Lord made him a death eater as well. Gregory didn't know what he was getting into." Draco said, obviously regretting not letting his friend know of what being a death eater really entailed.

"I see. Were you the first, or was Nott?" She asked.

"Neither. Irina was first." He told her.

"What? Wait… I thought you said it was only three. Who's Irina?" She asked him.

"Do you remember Igor Karkaroff? The Durmstrang headmaster?" He asked.

"Yes, I read in the daily prophet he was found dead in a shack up north with the dark mark above it," She remembered.

"He had a daughter. Irina. It was she who killed him and conjured the dark mark." He told her.

"She killed her own father?" She asked surprised.

"Yes. When the Dark Lord found out about Karkoroff's demise, he called all the death eaters and asked which had killed him. No one answered him… until this girl, a year younger than myself, appeared before him demanding to take her father's place. She had cut off her father's left arm so, when the Death Eaters were called, she followed the dark mark's lead. She became the youngest death eater ever." He told her.

"Where is she now?" Hermione asked.

"She died." Draco told her.

"How did she die?" She asked eagerly.

"Granger, I am tired. I will be going to sleep now; I suggest you do the same." Draco said, as he laid his wand on the nightstand by his bedside. Hermione glanced over to it and Draco caught her gaze, smiled, then laid back and closed his eyes. "I don't suggest you try it. Father cast a protective spell on my wand the day we purchased it. Only a Malfoy can pick it up without searing pain running through the body." He said.

Hermione sighed and looked at Draco. "One more question Draco, please, and I'll leave you be." And without waiting for his permission, she asked, "Where is Ron?"

Draco simply turned away from her in bed and didn't speak.

Hermione wasn't letting him off that easily. She rushed to the left side of the bed where he was facing, and said, "Draco, please… Where is he? Is he hurt?"

"Granger, it's late, I'm tired. Go to bed." Draco said, as he turned away from her to face the inside of the bed.

Hermione, frustrated with his lack of answers, grabbed his shoulder and rolled him back towards her, and raised her voice, "Tell me now! I deserve to know!"

Draco sat up abruptly."You deserve nothing! Get that through your thick head. I don't sink as low as rape, but you are MY toy, MY slave. Get that? MY property. You are less than a person right now, and if you do not behave as such, I will see to it you are properly punished." His eyes felt as if they could pierce her very soul.

"I see," she told him challenging his tone. "I understand, 'Punish her proper', just like Darius' portrait told your father earlier. You Malfoys are all the same." And she spit on the floor before him.

Draco grabbed his wand, and aimed it at her. "Impedimenta!" He said and Hermione went flying into the bathroom. He got up from the bed and went after her.

"Aquamenti," He said, right as she brought herself to her feet, and a jet of cold water shot towards her from his wand.

Hermione screamed as the force of the water ripped her towel off. Hermione charged towards him, and again, he shot another jet of freezing cold water that pushed her to her knees.

"I am tired of you! I will talk only when I feel like it, and not a moment before." Draco said. "Now get up, dry off and put the shirt on. If you don't want to sleep in the bed with me, then find a spot in the bath or on the floor like a dog for all I care." He walked to the bed and got under the covers.

"I hate you." She screamed after him, as he ignored her. "I hate you…" she repeated, and began to cry.

Hermione sobbed for a while in the bathroom, with a fresh towel over her cold body.

"Hermione, there you are." Nikki's voice came from the bathroom wall. Her shimmery transparent figure came floating into the bathroom.

"Nikki, you won't believe what Draco did to me!" Hermione was furious, she needed to vent.

"Hermione, I need to tell you something." Nikki seemed as if she was upset, and that what she needed to tell her was bad news.

"He told me I was less than a person." Hermione said, ignoring the fact that Nikki was talking. All the ghost was going to do was defend Draco, she thought.

"Hermione, please sit down." Nikki said, trying to calm her down.

But Hermione didn't want to calm down. "He told me I was his slave." She said to the ghost. "His slave. I wish I had my wand!"

"Hermione, please, it's important." The ghost pleaded with the young witch.

"He told me I was his toy, what a child!" Hermione told her, disgusted.

"Hermione, I heard the Slytherin girls talking before they disapparated," Nikki tried to tell her. However, Hermione didn't want to hear anything anyone was going to say to her.

"His property! Can you believe him, he called me his property!" Hermione was so angry nothing would calm her now.

"Hermione!" Nikki yelled, to get her attention.

"Then he jinxed me!" Hermione said, matching the ghost's volume, as she still wasn't listening.

Finally Nikki screamed like a banshee, "HERMIONE!"

"WHAT?" Hermione screamed back to the ghost.

Nikki looked in Hermione's eyes, which were filled with anger and hate, and she finally said, "Ronald Weasley is dead."


	8. Chapter 8

"No… no, no you misunderstood them, it can't be. No… no, why would you say that? Why would you lie to me like that, when I have been nothing but a friend to you? Why are you trying to upset me? He can't be dead. He isn't." Hermione couldn't control her desperation.

"Hermione…" said the ghost trying to think of something to say that would calm her.

"No, I am not listening to you, not now, not ever!" She said angrily.

"But-" The ghost tried to interject again.

"Shut up, SHUT UP!" She screamed as she covered her ears. "He isn't, I'm telling you, he isn't."

Hermione turned towards the bedroom and charged towards the nightstand where Draco's wand was laying. Her hand reached for it, but she quickly pulled away as she felt a surge of pain when her hand got closer to the wand. But before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed Draco's wand, pointed it at him, and started saying "Levic-" but the pain had gotten so intense, she screamed.

Draco, who had rolled over and closed his eyes, undisturbed by his own silencing spell, now turned and saw her falling to the floor, his wand still in her hand. He stood up before her, watching her sternly as she collapsed and fell to the ground.

It was like a lightning bolt or a jolt of muggle electricity. She'd never experienced that kind of pain. But, as much as she tried, she couldn't let go of the wand. It felt as if it was glued to her hand. Finally she closed her eyes and accepted her fate. The pain stopped.

She looked up, still convulsing from the pain and noticed Draco had removed his wand from her hand and was placing it back on his nightstand. He just stood there, watching her convulse with a look of 'I warned you' on his face, when Nikki glided in.

"It's my fault, Draco." said the ghost.

Draco looked at the ghost, perplexed, and said "I don't know what you mean?" narrowing his eyes at the ghost.

"I overheard Pansy and Daphne talking as they were leaving, they said Hermione…" Nikki stopped, looked towards the girl still convulsing on the floor, and whispered "got what she deserved when her Weasley boyfriend was killed…"

"And so you took it upon yourself to tell her." Draco said reprovingly.

"Well, I thought she should know…" the ghost said apologetically.

"I see. Thinking is not your forte… please stop doing it." Draco told her, and with her head down, she disappeared into the wall.

He bent down and lifted Hermione off the floor. She was still convulsing from the pain. He placed her gently in his bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulder. He sat beside her and moved her hair away from her face and he saw tears covering her face.

"Is… Is it… Is it…" But Hermione couldn't finish. Whether it had been the tears, the fear of knowing the truth, or the pain from the protective curse on the wand, she didn't know.

Draco nodded and said "It is." Those words had the same effect on her that the worse curse in the word could have had. She closed her eyes and began crying like she'd never cried before. It was uncontrollable, she couldn't stop if she wanted to. It was like the cry of a banshee.

Draco could feel a lump in his throat. He just wanted to hold her, run his hand through her hair and tell her everything was going to be ok. But he didn't. He couldn't. She was a mudblood, how could he want to console her so? And was it really going to be ok? He could protect her as long as the dark lord kept him as his favorite. But what would happen when someone else took that spot? And worst of all, what if his father regained that spot?.

She was beautiful, even when she was crying, and her lips had tasted like honey. To him, she smelled like roses even after she cleaned the occamy vomit. He had to console her. He got up from where he was sitting, pointed his wand to the nightstand and he conjured a photograph.

"Grange-, I mean… Hermione… in fifth year, I confiscated this from one of those dreadful Creevey brothers… I thought you might… well… here." He said as he laid the photograph on the pillow by her eyes. "I'll… leave you to morn." He told her and walked into his bathroom.

Hermione opened her tear-filled eyes and saw a couple of ginger-haired figures moving on the photograph. She brought her hand up to it and held it up for a better look. There, in the picture, was Ronald Weasley, catching the quaffle and saving the goal as Ginny caught the snitch. It was the last Quidditch match of their fifth year against Ravenclaw. Ron was smiling and winking at her from the picture. The crying that had slowly died down, became louder again as she held the photograph close to her heart. She wished she could jump into it and hold her Ronald once more. She didn't care it was on a broom, before the whole school. She wanted to hold him one last time before she had to say goodbye. But she would never again see his smile, hear his jokes, feel his touch… she cried for what seemed like hours before she fell asleep.

In the bathroom, Draco conjured a thin mattress so he wouldn't have to lie on the cold tile, but yet he couldn't fall asleep. He couldn't stop thinking of the young witch that was lying in his bed. She was so vulnerable, it only made him want to take care of her and protect her more. Was this normal? He never felt that way towards Pansy. He didn't want to protect her, in fact he couldn't stand her. He was happy she'd stop doting on him and turned her wiles on Goyle.

Draco never told Goyle she'd begged him to let her come back. She said wanted to become his Mrs. Malfoy. Their break up was complicated and only a select few knew the truth. He didn't want to make love to her, and that upset Pansy. So the Slytherin princess found herself someone who would satisfy her urges and keep his mouth shut around Draco. It had been Irina Karkoroff who caught the two lovers and told Malfoy about them.

"She betrayed a death eater, a follower of the Dark Lord himself. She should be punished." She had told him while she dragged the girl by the hair before him.

"Irina, as much as I'd like to revenge myself, I do not want anyone knowing I couldn't satisfy her, and she had to go to elsewhere for what she wanted. I'll modify her memory and make her think that I dumped her because she couldn't properly satisfy me. That would be enough for me. After all, being Goyle's girlfriend is punishment enough." He told Irina.

"Let me at least curse her womb so she may never bear him an heir." Irina had said excitedly.

"Do with her what you wish, I don't have any use for her." Draco told her, and as he was leaving the two girls alone, he said "Although it may be more amusing if you charmed her womb to become pregnant every time she and Goyle made love, but I'll leave that to you."

Suddenly a voice brought him back from his reminiscing. "She's asleep now, if you wanted to return to your bed." Nikki said floating in from the wall.

"She needs some time alone. I'm not going to encroach on her period of mourning."

"You are a good friend…"

"I am not her friend, I am her owner."

"You can't fool me Draco… I think you like this witch."

"Nikki… what did I tell you about thinking." He said sternly.

"I know you like her, why else would you not want to tell her about her boyfriend. If you didn't care about her feelings, why not just tell her right away?"

"I would have told her in due time."

"Probably, but you would have found a better time to tell her, so that she may take it better."

"She's taking it as well as she can!" He scolded her.

"You are defending her! To me! Come on cousin, admit it. You like her." The ghosts said with a smile.

"Nikki, it's time for you to leave."

"Fine. But you may want to check up on her, you never know what grief can do." The ghost said as she disappeared in the wall.

Draco was left alone with his thoughts, and he didn't like them one bit. Did he like her? He couldn't. She isn't a pureblood. But she was smart, brave, and most of all, beautiful.

He found himself slowly walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He saw her sleeping peacefully with the photograph he'd given her on her chest. The pillow was so wet from tears, he wondered how she could sleep. Her tear-stained skin was shining in the light of the moon that was coming in from the window. He just wanted to touch her face, feel how soft her skin was, but he didn't want to wake her.

He started back towards the bathroom, but stopped and thought _It's my bed!_

He walked back over to the bed and gently laid down beside her. He watched her as she slept, hoping to get a glimpse of her eyes without tears in them. He again removed some of the hair from her face. She stirred. He felt as if he should get out of the bed, but instead he touched her face. Before he knew it, she had snuggled up to him with her hands by her face and let his arms envelop her body. She then cried again into his chest.

He was holding her, letting her cry on him. The more she cried the more he tightened his hold around her. His chin was above her head and when he looked down to her, he kissed the top of her head. Hermione suddenly stopped crying. She looked up into his eyes and kissed him. He couldn't believe he was kissing her again, he had her in his arms and was kissing her smooth soft lips. He wanted that moment to never end, but something was eating at him. Was this right? Should he take advantage of her in her moment of pain? Her kiss got stronger and he pulled away.

Hermione was shocked. "I thought you wanted this." She said.

"I do, I mean, no… not like this, I feel as if I'd be taking advantage of you." He told her.

Hermione looked angry. "You? Don't want to take advantage of the situation? I thought that's what Slytherin was all about."

Draco was ready to tell her off, but instead he looked into her eyes, so full of sorrow and said gently, "I can continue holding you, or I can leave you to your grief. You tell me."

At that Hermione's eyes began to water again, and said "Please… Stay… and thank you."

Draco smiled and let her reposition herself in his arms. He watched her sleep and as he lay beside her, he too finally began to rest.


	9. Chapter 9

The sun didn't even seem to be dawning when Draco awoke. He looked over to his right and saw, still wrapped in his arm, a sleeping Hermione. Her eyelids were very swollen and puffy from the tears she'd shed during the night. Did that really happen? Did he really turn her down because he didn't want to take advantage of her? Was he becoming soft? No… couldn't be… could it?

Draco's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud knock that came from the door of his bedroom.

Hermione, startled by the knock, opened her eyes and looked at Draco, but when their eyes met, she shyly turned her gaze to the door.

A second, louder knock came from the door again. Hermione made to speak, but Draco quickly shook his head and brought his finger to his mouth to urge her to keep quiet. He still had an arm around her which only made it easier for her snuggle up closer to him.

Suddenly, from the door, they heard a sigh of frustration and the crack of someone disapparating. Both of them were able to breathe a little now that the presence was no longer lurking on the other side.

"The muffliato spell only lasts about 5 hours," Draco said smiling, "you need to get dressed, and remember, you are to obey me and only me." He then got up from bed releasing Hermione. He pointed his wand towards his closet and summoned a dark forest green robe that almost seemed black. He began to dress himself as he continued instructing, "My father should leave you alone now. He knows how possessive I am with my things. I make no excuses for it, and now you are one of my… well… for lack of a better word… one of my things. He realizes that if I'm not happy, the Dark Lord will find out about it."

"What about Boffy?" She asked, thinking of the sneaky elf.

"That little wretch only listens to father and uncle Darius' portrait. Just do as you are told, without arguments, and all should be fine." He answered.

"And then you'll get me back to Harry and…" She stopped, realizing what her next word would have been… Ron… Her eyes grew wide, and filled with tears large enough to fill a lake. She looked at Draco as if pleading for a kind word, something to reassure her.

But Draco couldn't think of anything to say. He wanted her to stop crying, he wished he could whisk her away, just to see a smile on her beautiful face.

He began to open his mouth, but before he did, they heard two cracks from the door and then a knock. This was a different knock, it was fast and short.

Hermione looked at Draco, who motioned for her to get her clothing on. He turned as a second set of fast, short knocks came from the door, this time followed by a voice.

"Draco? Darling? Come to the door." Called his mother in as voice as sweet as honey.

Draco stood silent and motionless as he watched the door, wand in hand.

"Draco? Honey? Open this door, son." Narcissa called again, this time with less sweetness in her voice.

His mother was calling him but he wouldn't open the door. He wouldn't even answer her. _He has a plan…_ Hermione thought.

"Draco, I am losing my patience with you." She told him sternly, "You don't want the professor to leave, now do you?"

A second much deeper voice said "Narcissa, the boy is probably-" But Narcissa interrupted him, and said "No Severus, he's being rude. You've taken time out of your own busy schedule to train my son as a personal favor to myself and Lucius." She continued now in a much louder voice, "The least he can do is OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Draco glanced at Hermione who was now dressed and sitting on his bed. He whispered to her "I'm sorry…" and pointed his wand at her hand. A small cut appeared on her skin. A droplet of blood trickled down to her wrist. Draco levitated it off her flesh and above the bed.

"Draco!" Called his mother, but again he ignored her and continued in his task. The drop started to become larger and larger, until finally it was the size of a lemon. Draco then guided it onto his bed staining the sheets and splashing Hermione's skirt and legs.

"It's ok," he whispered to her, "can you cry quietly?"

Hermione nodded, covered her face with her hands and cried.

He hated to ask her to do this, especially after she had cried all night, but it was the only way.

"Draco! You open this door right now, or, I swear on your ancestors, I will blow it open!" His mother yelled, without any trace of sweetness and patience.

Draco undid his pants and opened the door. There, standing on the threshold of his bedroom, was Narcissa, Draco's mother; and Severus Snape her former professor… the one who killed Professor Albus Dumbledore, the greatest headmaster Hogwarts had ever seen. Hermione had trusted Snape, a mistake she will never make again. She wanted to attack him, but Snape was known for his quick reflexes, and he would have had her on the floor before she could have touched him.

"You'd think that in a mansion of this size, I'd get a little privacy to enjoy the prize the dark lord bestowed upon me!" He told his mother as he finished dressing himself.

Narcissa's stern eyes glanced to Draco's pants and then quickly to the bed where Hermione was crying in a stain of blood.

"Draco, I don't suppose you know how hard virgin's blood is to remove from sheets?" She told him without looking at him.

"That's why we have house elves, mother." He said to her defiantly.

"Nacissa," Snape interjected, "I will make you a potion to aid the elves in cleaning that stain. But now, we really need to begin lessons."

"Yes, Severus," Narcissa said with a smile, "I will leave you to your lessons, and thank you for not leaving."

Narcissa then looked over to Hermione who was still in tears and said "Mudblood! Follow me!"

Hermione looked over to Draco and waited for his order.

"Mother, she won't obey you. Only me." Draco said with a smirk.

"Well then order her to obey me." Narcissa said calmly.

"She will stay here. I am not finished with her." Draco told her defiantly.

Narcissa tried to hide her anger as she smiled to Snape, left the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Professor Snape," Draco said as he walked to Hermione and sat beside her on the bed, "I believe you are already acquainted with my slave."

"Mister Malfoy, I take it you have something to hide from me?" The potions master said with a raised eyebrow.

"Why would you say that, Professor?" Draco continued, his hand grabbed Hermione's hair and pulled her to her knees on the ground.

"You have not yet met my gaze…" he said with that annoying sneer he always had when he pointed out a student's mistake.

Draco turned, looked into Snape's eyes and said "Even if I did, I'm a very skilled occlumens. You should know. You helped perfect the skills aunt Bellatrix taught me."

"Mister Malfoy, if you are indeed through playing with your toy, I'd like to begin today's lessons." Snape spat back.

"And if I am not?" Draco asked defiantly.

Hermione had never seen this side of Draco before. For someone who had been dubbed the prince of Slytherin house, he was acting very unslytherin-like. This was his professor, the former head of Slytherin house, not to mention, his mentor. He seemed brave and not to care about himself, but only of protecting her.

"Then I shall take my leave." The professor said. Snape turned away from Draco and began walking towards the door, but before he reached it, he stopped and said "however, Mister Malfoy, I hope you realize that the Dark Lord will not be pleased you chose the company of your slave over furthering your knowledge of the dark arts. The dark lord has invested a lot of time in you, and would be more than 'put out' if you do not show him the loyalty he expects from his followers."

"Professor," Draco started saying as her wrapped one arm around Hermione's waist and the other on her neck. Hermione gasped. He brought her to Snape, who turned to face them. "Would you care to share her?" Draco said with an evil smile.

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Share her? What was Draco thinking? How dare he treat her as an object!

"Mister Malfoy, I have no interest in your slave. My only interest, at the moment, is in your education. Your parents asked me to refine your skills as a personal favor to them and the Dark Lord is pleased you are learning so quickly."

"I see, I didn't realize you have no interest in what a woman can offer…" Draco said coyly.

"On the contrary, I believe you know that, unlike yourself, Mister Malfoy, I have plenty of experience in the enjoyment of 'certain' women. It is girls, like Miss Granger, I have no use for." Snape said looking towards Hermione.

"You should watch what you say around me, professor." Draco said through gritted teeth, but Snape had a pleased look on his face. Draco released Hermione and let her fall to the floor.

"Mudblood!" He sneered with utter disgust. "Help the house elves in whatever they are doing." Draco ordered.

"Alright," she replied, but before she could make it to her feet Draco aimed his wand at her and said "Stupify!" With a jolt Hermione was pushed into the wall.

"This is the last time I remind you." With his wand still pointed towards her he made her levitate while pressed against the wall. "How is filth like yourself, supposed to address their lord and master?" Draco said as his eyes filled with rage.

Hermione knew he wasn't joking, or pretending. Draco was really angry. He was not to be talked back to, not in front of Snape. She felt as if he was lifting her from her throat to choke her. She tried opening her mouth to speak, but couldn't. He finally let her drop. She fell from what seemed the top of the room, hitting her chin on the desk. Searing pain came from her chin and lips and when she looked to her hands she saw an enormous amount of blood.

"Are you deaf, bitch, or are you just stupid?" The fury in his eyes was beyond rage now. "I know it isn't the latter, shall I repeat the question so you can hear?" Draco squatted down to Hermione who was still trying to stop the bleeding from her mouth and chin and yelled "HOW DO YOU ADDRESS ME?"

"Master, Yes Master!" She sobbed so frightened that her tears and blood were now flowing as one.

"If you forget it one more time, I'll cut the words into your skin. Do I make myself clear?" He continued.

"Yes Master." She cried through large tears.

Hermione slowly got to her feet holding her mouth as to not bleed everywhere. Snape walked towards her, but she kept her gaze to the ground. He took her chin in his hands. Her cries were soon replaced but yelps of pain as he examined her wounds.

"Heal her." Snape told Draco as he let go of her.

"What!" Draco said incredulously.

"Heal her." Snape told him staccato.

"What's she to you?" Draco asked.

"Do you really want her mudblood dripping on your family's heirlooms?" The professor answered back.

"Personally, I do not care." Draco answered, "I don't understand why you would."

"It will make the lady of the house quite angry, and I would prefer your mother be in a good mood." Snape told him.

"I bet you would." Draco answered. "Heal her yourself!"

If Hermione wasn't in so much pain and so upset that Draco had just left her to bleed to death, she would have realized it was out of character for Snape to take such tongue from Draco. The potions master walked towards her and pointed his wand at her mouth. The pain ceased, as did the flow of blood.

"Miss Granger, please cleanse your face before going on your task." Snape said.

Hermione looked from Draco to Snape and then back to Draco. She waited staring at Draco's back. For one whole minute she didn't move waiting for Draco to speak to her. No one spoke, Snape was smiling evilly, waiting to see how this would play out.

Finally Hermione spoke "Master, would you like me to go wash my face before I leave?"

"Yes," Draco answered her without looking at her. There was something in his voice, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something that made her forgive his outburst of anger.

"As you wish, Master." She said and she walked to the bathroom where she quickly washed the metallic tasting blood and bitter tears from her mouth and chin.

She came back into the room and saw Snape had conjured a blackboard with a potion formula on it. It must have been a dark potion as she didn't recognize it from the seventh year books she had read. She looked around and didn't see Draco. Snape had probably sent him on a fool's arrant.

"Miss Granger, does Mr. Malfoy hurt you often?" Snape asked her suddenly.

Although Hermione began to think of how to answer his question, memories of Dumbledore's funeral and of Ron flooded her brain. She wanted to tell him to go to hell, but she responded with a simple "You have no place addressing me."

But Snape approached her and very quietly said "Miss Grager, I can help you-"

"Like you helped professor Dumbledore?" she asked staring in his dark eyes.

Before the professor could answer her, Draco reapparated in the room with ingredients from his father's store room. Snape turned towards his pupil and told him to begin mixing the ingredients as stated on the blackboard.

Hermione didn't know if she should leave or wait for Draco to dismiss her, so she finally asked "Am I to your liking?"

Draco, who was starting to light a fire under a cauldron he'd conjured, stopped and looked at his slave. "You are now as acceptable as a mudblood slave can be, but as far as to my liking, you will never achieve that." Draco went back to his cauldron and told her "Now leave."

As Hermione left the bedroom, she thought she heard her former potions master praise the young Slytherin on the way the training was proceeding with his new toy.

The door shut behind her. She was now alone in the hallway. She began walking toward the stairs. As she descended the flight of stairs the portraits began calling her names and heckling her. One even told her she was just a receptacle for the Malfoy oats which she laughed at. She quickly realized she wasn't going the right way. The Malfoy mansion was very large and she hadn't had time to get acquainted with its halls and corridors. After what seemed like the fifth time she passed the same portrait of the woman with her nose turned up, Hermione finally reached a room she'd seen before. The door was ajar and almost seemed to invite her inside. She looked around and when she was sure no one was in sight, she entered the room, the room that belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione stood still, looking around the room. She tried to be as quiet as possible, so if someone began walking toward the door, she would hear them. The room was darker, quieter than she had remembered. She walked slowly towards the blue and silver glow of the memories Bellatrix extracted from her victim. She was cautious, and nervous, but she needed to know. She needed to see.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She slowly opened her eyes and her gaze dropped to the bottom of the stacks. _Walton, Warnock, Warrick, Welling… no Weasley?_ Hermione thought. She then began looking again from the top and at every single vile, stopping to double check Rea Wesley and Ronald Maesley. _He's not here... _she thought. Although she was happy Ron didn't die by the torturous hand of Bellatrix Lestrange, she was also a little disappointed not to be able to see him again, even if it was through a memory.

Just as she began to walk out, her eyes again fell upon "Malfoy-Volfe, Lucretia, February 14, 1977." The vile now only contained two strands of Nikki's mother's memories. Hermione looked at the basin, sitting plainly in sight and began to touch the liquid inside. She opened the vile and smelled it. She knew memories didn't have a scent, but she smelled it anyhow and before she could catch herself, she was pouring the remaining contents of the vile in the basin.

The memories began swirling, going around in circles, faster and faster, quickly becoming transparent. Hermione touched the liquid again and felt the same mysterious force pull her into the bedroom of the head boy she had previously visited. There, on a stool, was the beautiful Lucretia. Hermione watched her trying to be still, trying not move an eyelash. She then heard someone behind her:

"I want her to look as though she's the happiest she's ever been" said the familiar voice of Darius Malfoy.

"Malfoy! It's a wizard portrait so she'll look the way she truly feels inside, at the time the portrait is being admired" said a second voice she didn't recognize.

Hermione turned and saw a Hufflepuff boy, the same age as Darius, painting a picture of Lucretia. He was stubby and looked much like Ernie, the Hufflepuff in her year she took Herbology with. The boy continued painting, but was complaining the whole time.

"Malfoy, this would be so much easier if she wasn't a Muggle." The Hufflepuff said.

"MacMillan, if it were easy, I wouldn't have needed you and, as I recall, I'm not paying you to talk, I'm paying you to paint." Darius Malfoy snapped at the boy.

_MacMillan? That's Ernie's last name. This must be his father or some uncle, _Hermione thought as she backed up to watch the rest of the events unfold.

Darius walked to Lucretia and lifted her chin with his knuckle and looked in her eyes. "If you are a good girl and smile for MacMillan here, I'll reward you. What would you want?"

Lucretia smiled on one side of her mouth. "A ring…"

"Done!" Darius said with a smile "We'll go find one on the next Hogsmeade weekend."

"No," Lucretia said pulling her chin away from his knuckle, "I want something of yours, something to remember you by."

Darius stepped back and looked at the girl no longer smiling. "What do you mean, to remember me by?"

Lucretia seemed to look at Darius as if she was almost challenging him. Hermione could feel the tension building between the two lovers.

"Darius-" Lucretia started, but was quickly interrupted.

"How many times must I tell you," Darius said with anger and a hint of embarrassment in his voice "You will address me as Master!" He yelled at her, raising his wand and aiming it toward her.

The MacMillan boy was watching the two as intently as Hermione was. Malfoy was standing over Lucretia about to hex or worse, curse her. Lucretia was looking at him not breaking eye contact. Hermione thought the muggle had a lot of guts to stand up to an armed wizard as she was.

"Darius, I'm leaving" she told him calmly.

Darius Malfoy seemed shocked. "Leaving?" he asked as his wand arm dropped to his side. "How? I mean why?" he said confused.

Lucretia broke eye contact, looked down and smiled. She then said in a voice as quiet as a whisper "Darius, as much as I've enjoyed being here, with you, I am not of your world. I am not one of your kind."

Malfoy was smart, he was head boy. He knew she was uncomfortable in his world. He had to know. After a long silence, he then said "There is a little muggle town south of Hogsmeade. I can see if I can send you there, you could find a job. And I'll have my house elf change some of my wizard money into muggle money so you can live comfortably. I could visit-" but the rest of his sentence was muted as Lucretia placed her her finger on his mouth. She shook her head, and he knew. He knew he was never to see her again. He looked down, his blonde hair covering his face and then said "I love you."

"I know. I'm sorry," she told him "You graduate school in a few weeks, I will stay until then. I will miss you."

"Malfoy? Do you want me to finish the painting?" MacMillan asked. "Do you need some time alone with your girlfriend?"

Hermione could see Darius starting to smile under the thick mop of blonde hair, but tears were pouring down to his lips and dripping off to the floor. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes were red with anger and tears, pointed his wand at MacMillan saying "Obliviate!"

The force of the spell threw MacMillan against the back wall of the head boy's private dorm. Darius turned to Lucretia and said "I understand, you will leave when I do. Let's not talk about this any longer. We'll act as if nothing has changed."

Lucretia looked at Darius and said "Do not do that to me. I want to remember this year. This experience. I want to remember you."

The two looked at each other and finally, Darius nodded.

"Malfoy? What am I doing here? Who's she?" MacMillan said as he got up from the floor."

"MacMillan, I don't know what spell you are using to paint her portrait, but you should be more careful. Now, please, finish painting the portrait," Darius ordered.

MacMillan looked at Malfoy and then to Lucretia and back to Malfoy again. He then approached the painting and recognizing his own work, picked up his wand and continued his masterpiece.

The people began to blur in Hermione's eyes and the background began to spin, like the Cotton Candy machine at the muggle fair she used to love going to. Slowly the memory changed before her eyes. She was in a very cold room, with meat hanging from hooks in the ceiling. She saw a now more mature Lucretia standing, frozen, in the middle of the room. She'd been paralyzed. By her side, lying down unconscious and face up, a very large muggle man wearing a white bloody apron.

Hermione looked around and saw a dark figure skulking around.

"Why are you doing this? What do you keep taking from my mind? What has Gaetano done to you? What did you do to him? Did you kill him? Why won't you answer me!" Lucretia was screaming.

At that point Hermione realized the man lying on the floor was not unconscious. He was dead. Killed by the viciousness of a witch or wizard.

"That wizard hating muggle deserved to die! As do you, filth" said the figure.

As soon as Hermione realized the figure was a young Bellatrix Lestrange, the Death Eater pointed her wand at Lucretia who writhed and screamed in pain. Hermione didn't need to hear the words to know it was the Cruciatus curse.

"Why don't you just kill me…" Lucretia cried, muffled by her tears.

Hermione realized she had removed her wand from her sleeve and had it pointed towards Bellatrix. She didn't feel herself doing it. It was just an automatic reaction.

Bellatrix looked beautiful and young, like the picture Hermione saw by Kreature's bed back at number 12 Grimmauld Place, however she had a darkness about her. Her eyes were filled with pure evil. She paused, watching and relishing in the pain she was causing the poor muggle woman.

"Did he love you?" she asked calmly. Lucretia continued crying "Gaetano Volfe was my husband. Of course he loved me."

"Not him, you stupid whore!" She yelled at her and pointed her wand to her head. Lucretia screamed and cried again while Bellatrix laughed maniacally. "Not him, although, I am curious, did you love him as you did your other husband?"

"I don't know what you are talking about…" she sobbed almost inaudibly.

"Darius! You filthy muggle! The wizard you married!" again the wand was pointed at Lucretia, and she, in turn, suffered immense pain.

"I never married him…" Lucretia kept sobbing.

"I may have underestimated Darius' Obliviate charm." Bellatrix smiled to herself and then continued "I assure you. You are, what you refer to in the muggle world as, a bigamist."

Lucretia said nothing but continued crying in her frozen state.

"Come now, it didn't cross your mind that a wizard, top of his class, would know how to make you do something against your will and erase your memory?" Bellatrix asked coyly.

Lucretia's tears spilled continuously from her eyes. Hermione knew Lucretia was now crying because of the words Bellatrix was speaking and not by her silent curse.

"You still did not answer my question. Did he love you?" Bellatrix asked as if she was taking to a child.

"Please… I didn't… I couldn't love him." Lucretia sobbed.

Bellatrix this time said the curse out loud. "Crucio!" she screamed! "I asked if HE loved YOU?"

"YES!" Lucretia cried out through her pain "He loved me, he still does."

For the first time Bellatrix looked defeated. Her wand arm fell to her side as she looked into space.

Lucretia continued crying, but now she was angry. "And he will always love me. Our child will be a constant reminder of-" But before she could finish her sentence, Bellatrix raised her wand hand and said "Avada Kedavra." As the spell hit the muggle, Hermione felt herself floating out of the basin.

She was back in the death eater's room. She had just witnessed Nikki's mother's death. Her legs gave in, as they could no longer keep her up. She took a deep breath and fought tears from manifesting themselves. This was the first time she saw death. It was so close, so real, so final.

"I see someone's having fun" said a curt voice.

Hermione turned toward the entrance of the bedroom, and, leaning against the door frame, with one eyebrow raised and an arrogant smirk, was Theodore Nott.


	11. Chapter 11

"I… I… I…" But nothing came out of Hermione's mouth.

"What? Is Hermione Granger at a loss for words?" teased Nott, "I don't think anyone, let alone me, has ever witnessed this."

"It's just that… well… you startled me," she said searching through the room, for anything she could find to use as an excuse for why she was there.

"Is that so?" He said slowly approaching her. "Tell me," he then whispered, as he stood behind her, "Whose demise did you witness? Anyone we know?"

"I… no. No one we know." She said, trying to think of what the former Slytherin boy was getting at.

Nott leaned in closer, this time moving the hair off her neck. "Did it turn you on, mudblood?"

Hermione felt sick and unclean, as if the boy had just doused her with a bag full of trash. "It turned my stomach!" she told him indignantly.

Nott smiled and backed away… "I don't know what he sees in you. I really don't."

"Now what is that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, trying to keep the boy off the trail of her snooping.

Nott suddenly grabbed Hermione's hand and held it tightly in his. She fell to her knees, but keeping silent, she refrained from screaming out loud.

"You…" Nott said in a matter-of-fact way, "I want to see what he sees in you. I want to see what he likes. Tell me what you do to him that makes him forget-"

"Am I interrupting anything?" Draco's voice echoed as it filled the dark room. He walked into his aunt's room and looked at Hermione on the floor. His eyes then rose to Nott who was still holding onto her hand, and said, "Is she pleasing to you?"

Nott released his grip on the witch and threw her hand down. "She could never satisfy me." He said in a tone of superiority. "I found her with her head in the pensieve." He said to Draco.

"Because I asked her to look into something for me." Draco answered him. "Get up." He said to Hermione without looking at her. "In my room, now. Make sure all your clothing is removed and you are waiting on the floor by my bed."

Hermione realized Draco was trying to protect not only himself, but her as well. She thought about what he had asked her to do and decided to answer accordingly. "Yes, Master." She answered him obediently and holding on to her wrist, she left the room.

Draco waited until she left the room and looked at the boy he called his friend. "Can we reconvene in the sitting room?"

Nott nodded, and with his hand, pointed towards the entry way. The two Slytherins walked out of the room. Draco stopped in the entryway and pointed his wand at the pensieve. Four strands of memory came out and placed themselves in the open vile. His wand then guided the cork and sealed the vile shut again.

Hermione, who had been trying to eaves drop outside the room, kept a few steps behind the two Slytherins. She wanted to follow them and see what they knew about Ron's death and Harry's whereabouts.

Neither of them spoke as they made their way to the Malfoy sitting room. Each held their head high and walked with a steady pace. Hermione followed them trying to make no sounds at all. _It's at times like this that I wish I had Harry's invisibility cloak, _she thought.

As they arrived at the entryway to the sitting room, Draco raised his wand and the door opened. Hermione stood outside behind the statue of a snake that adorned the entryway.

With wand still in hand Draco pointed to the fireplace and said "Incendio." The wood that was sitting in the rack of the fireplace caught fire as if on its own. Draco turned towards Nott, who'd just taken a seat on a chair, and smiled as he leaned against the mantle.

"What, Malfoy?" Nott said annoyed. "What is it? Upset I was playing with one of your toys?" He teased.

"Not in the least," he told him, "In fact, if you would like to take her with you once I've broken her in a bit, you have my permission."

"I don't need your scraps!" He said, letting his anger bring him to his feet again. "The Dark Lord may have graced you as his favorite, but that won't last long. So you can stop acting as if you were superior to me." Nott pulled up his sleeve revealing the dark mark branded into his forearm, "I'm just as honored as you, Malfoy!"

At that moment, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy walked by the statue Hermione was hiding behind and made their way into the sitting room. They froze as they saw the two purebloods in mid argument.

Nott looked to his arm and began covering it. "At least my girlfriend didn't leave me for a goon!" He said in a low voice and began walking towards the other Slytherins. He was about to greet them, when Draco, smiling, said "No, you watched her die before you, while someone else avenged her death."

Nott stopped in his tracks, raised his head high and took a breath. He then walked past the others and left the room.

"That was a little heartless, Draco." Pansy said holding onto Goyle who grunted in agreement. "Gregory! I told you to stop grunting! Use your words." Goyle looked down ashamed "Sorry…" he whispered.

"I apologize, princess," Draco said in a sneer, "next time I'll aim to be completely heartless. Get out, all of you!" He ordered. The three Slytherins again were frozen in place not knowing what had happened to him to make him so angry.

"I said get out of my house, NOW!" Draco yelled.

Draco then grabbed the first thing he found and threw it against the fireplace. The item smashed in little pieces. He stood looking at the fire, with his back to them. Pansy turned around and shook her head. The group began making their way out of the sitting room. As they passed the entryway, Pansy turned to Goyle and said "Ever since he killed Weasley and got into the Dark Lord's good graces, he's been just intolerable."

Hermione's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. The words _killed Weasley_ reverberated in her head. Pansy must have seen her there and made the comment to draw her out. Draco wasn't a nice guy, but he wouldn't have killed Ron.

Hermione stepped out of her hiding place and screamed after Pansy, "Liar, you're a disgusting liar!"

Pansy turned and smirked raising an eyebrow. "Hey Draco!" she called, "Your mudblood was eavesdropping."

Draco walked out of the sitting room. If it were possible, you could have seen the fire coming off of his shoulders and head. She'd never seen him this angry, but she didn't care, not in the least.

"Tell her, Malfoy!" Hermione screamed with tears streaming down her face. "Tell her she's a liar!"

"Filthy mudblood," he said in anger, "I told you to return to my bedroom." He removed his wand and cast a silencing charm on her. Her tears would not be stopped though. "You do not talk to my friends in that manner." Draco added.

Pansy laughed "Draco, did you not tell her you killed Potter's best mate?" Goyle and Crabbe grunted in amusement.

Draco's expression didn't change. "Is that what you wanted to know, mudblood?" He said looking at Hermione, "You needed confirmation?" He pulled her close to him. "Yes, I killed Ronald Weasley!" He said as he looked into her bloodshot eyes.

Hermione couldn't speak but the others could tell she wanted to hex and curse Malfoy, right then and there. She fell to the ground crying and beating the floor. Pansy laughed watching her.

"See, mudblood," Pansy said kneeling to her, "Draco killed him, he ran a spear through him and let him suffer, like no one else would. He made his aunt Bellatrix very proud. When the dark lord found out, he announced that Draco could have anything his heart desired, which is a privilege reserved for the Dark Lord's favorite." Pansy was enjoying recounting the story. "And his heart desired you." Pansy stopped and realized what she had said. It was as if she had never realized Draco chose Hermione.

"Draco," she began saying, "You realize, if you had asked the Dark Lord for me, I would have come back to you." Goyle seemed surprised at Pansy's comment.

Draco laughed out loud, "Pansy, why would I have wanted you? You're damaged goods now. I wouldn't take anything that was used by Goyle, or anyone else for that matter." Draco knelt by Hermione. "My little mudblood had never been defiled by anyone… until last night."

Pansy stood up bitterly. "Come boys." she ordered and began leaving. Goyle followed her saying, "Pansy, would you have really gone back to him?" Pansy just kept on walking. Crabbe followed them shaking his head.

"Hermione…" Draco said sweetly as he caressed her face, but she pulled away from him and continued crying. He stood up and walked away. "You'll understand soon enough." He told her as he left.


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: This chapter is very graphic. Part of this chapter was edited by Catalyst.

Hermione had curled up in a ball on the floor, behind the snake statue at the entrance of the Malfoy's sitting room. She'd pulled her knees up to her chest and held them close. Her face hung over them and her tears had flowed down to her legs.

She'd found out Ron was dead, but what she didn't know was who had killed him. Draco Malfoy? She'd let her guard down and let him hold her. She was starting to trust him, to think he was just misunderstood or misguided; after all, his father was Lucius Malfoy. Everything he told her was a lie, how he'd protect her. All he wanted to do was turn her into another one of his conquests.

Hermione wanted to be angry, she wanted to hurt Draco, but all she could do was cry. She was devastated. She wanted to believe he'd protect her. She wanted to believe he was good.

A familiar voice from the wall whispered "Draco's worried about you…" Hermione buried her face deeper into her knees and said "Go away, Nikki."

The ghost appeared through the wall beside her and floated down to meet Hermione's eyes. "He really is worried, I've never seen him this way." Hermione looked up and said with a threatening tone "He should be, he has no idea what I'm capable of."

Nikki could see the hurt behind Hermione's words. She began saying "Hermion-"

"I said, go away Nikki." Hermione interrupted. "You don't want me to alert the whole mansion to your presence, do you?" She yelled as she looked at her in anger with bloodshot eyes. "Go away!" Nikki vanished into the wall.

Hermione stood with a look of determination. She began slowly walking down the hallway and up the staircase to Draco's rooms. With every step she'd become more and more calm. She knew what she was going to do, and she'd succeed or die trying.

Hermione reached Draco's door and stood there silently. After a few moments of staring at it, she took a deep breath, wiped one last tear off her face and knocked twice on the door. She waited a few seconds before the door opened.

Draco was at his desk looking toward the door with his wand pointed at it. He saw Hermione and his face softened. He stood to his feet and walked to her. Hermione averted her eyes to him and began removing her clothing. Draco watched her confused. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"What does it look like, Master?" She said the title through gritted teeth, pained by her involvement with him. "You were awarded me. I am only facilitating your receipt of these spoils of war." She said pointing at her own body.

"Hermione, don't." Draco told her as he walked to his nightstand and placed his wand on it.

"And why shouldn't I? You are too filled with pride to take me by force. I'm making this easy for you, Master." She dropped her clothing to the floor and looked at him. "Where do you want to take me? On the bed? In the bath? Or like an animal, on the floor?" She said with bitterness in her voice.

Draco tried to keep his eyes focused on hers but the skin on her body was radiant and pale. He could not help but admire it. She was beautiful, even more so than any veela he'd seen. "Hermione," he said, "Don't do this…"

She walked closer to him, bringing her finger to his mouth to silence him. She took his hand and placed it on her cheek. She kissed his palm twice as she dragged it to her mouth and then began sucking on his index finger. She let her wet tongue swirl around his digit and pushed it to the back of her throat. Draco closed his eyes as she did so, both in pleasure and pain.

"Hermione." He said pushing her away. "Stop this. Now." He began walking away from her frustrated. But that wasn't going to stop Hermione. She ran up to his back and held him from behind. She let out another tear which fell onto Draco's back. He felt it and turned to her. Unable to resist his own urges, he took her into his arms and kissed her full on the lips. She melted into his embrace and kissed him back. Tears now flowed from her eyes. He held her close, lifted her and carried her to the bed, where he gently laid her down. "Hermione, I won't do this. Not now."

Hermione got up on her knees and said "What? Not good enough? Do you want me on my knees? Begging? Please, oh great master, please. I need you to violate me. I need you to defile me. This was what you wanted right? You wanted this Draco!" She held back tears on her already tear stained face. Instead she took his hand and place it on her breast. It was warm and supple, her nipple hardened to his touch and a chill went down Draco's spine.

"Hermione," Draco said pulling his hand away, visibly frustrated. Hermione didn't let him speak. She grabbed his hands and pulled him closer to her. She let his hands fall on her hips and placed hers on his face. "Would you rather I act domineering and you be the Slave?" Draco pushed her back down on the bed. She tilted her head to one side and said "I know you want to be my master. Take me Draco. I'm rightfully yours."

Draco began pulling on his hair. "You aren't making this easy." He said to her "You don't want this, you are upset."

"Since when do you care what I want? Did you ask me what I wanted when you killed Ron!" She yelled. She quickly calmed herself. And crawled over to Draco and said pleadingly "Forgive me, I had no right to yell, but you are wrong. I've never wanted anything more in my life." Hermione reached into Draco's garments and grabbed his manhood. It was hard and sweaty. She knew she was getting to him.

She began to stroke him gently. He looked at her with anger in his eyes. She could tell he was fighting the sensation, fighting his own will. But he was a Slytherin after all, it was only a matter of time. She started playing with head and finally Draco closed his eyes as they rolled in the back of his head from ecstasy.

"There, see?" Hermione said with a tear running down her cheek "This is what you wanted… isn't it?"

Draco's eyes opened suddenly and anger flared from them. "No it isn't!" He grabbed her wrist, slamming her back onto the bed, straddling and pinning her wrists over her head. "You... want this..." he said, more question than statement, as he pressed his body close to hers. He moved so that one hand held her wrists. "Tell me truthfully you want it, and you shall get it."

She was silent, stunned in his eyes.

He moved his other hand down, grazing her body, pressing against her thighs. It found its mark and pulled his throbbing member free, gracing it against her thighs. His voice was calmer now, but rough with the stress of contained lust. "Do you? Do you really..." He freed his hand, bringing it up to hold her jaw, his voice husky. "...want this?"

Barely coming to her mind, she breathed, "If this isn't what you wanted, then what _do_ you want?"

Draco seemed shocked, and the shock faded to sadness. It took him a moment to speak. By the time he did, tears had filled his eyes. "I want you to love me."

Hermione was speechless, that was the last thing she thought Draco would say. Was that why he killed Ron? Was it why he thought she would understand? His death was all too fresh in her mind. Her face became cold and hard. He looked down, away from him, and his soul-seeking eyes. Her words held only bitterness. "Don't hold your breath, Malfoy!"

Draco's eyes went cold and blank. The hand on her jaw suddenly twisted to her throat. He held it down with enough force to slow her breathing, but not enough to choke her. His voice came in a low growl. "That's Master to you, mudblood!"

His manhood was pressed against her, his eyes were lit with the sparks of his ever-present barriers breaking down, and his face was a mixture of passion and pain. It was as though seeing her like this, holding her like this, feeling her body beneath him, was painful.

They stared at each other cross a short distance which seemed like miles, in a space of seconds that seemed like eternity.

Her eyes caught him defiantly, daring him to continue. "I will never love you, Malfoy."

There was an almost audible snap. "Call… me... MASTER!" And he thrust into her with a shout of anger.

Her head lay back, as though trying to see the wall behind her. She began to cry quietly as he thrusted himself in and out of her. He saw her tears and looked away. Unable to bear the pain she began to plead, "It hurts, Draco, it hurts."

Some sort of sense returned to Draco and he slowed the pace of his thrusts. He looked back to her, a little softer, running a hand through her hair. "The pain will stop soon."

She nodded to him as she clenched her teeth. After a minute or so, Draco felt something release inside of her as Hermione shouted a cry of pain. Blood began staining the sheets of the bed and her pain slowly lessened.

"Better?" Draco asked her.

Hermione nodded.

Draco pulled out and Hermione sat up holding him by the neck with one hand. "No," she said. "Don't stop." She pleaded.

Draco smirked "I wasn't going to." He grabbed her by the waist and flipped her to her stomach, pulling her to her knees by bringing her waist up to his pelvis. She turned to ask what he was going to do, but he pushed her head down to the mattress and her arms to her sides. He placed the tip of his manhood on her opening and he said "Beg for it."

Hermione turned her head again and said "You beg for it!"

Draco reached around with his hand and placed it on one of her breasts. With his other hand he reached around to her clit and began flicking it with his finger. She was wet and ready for him. He pinched her already hard nipples. She moaned and got wetter. He said "Beg, or I'll stop." He said.

Hermione couldn't control herself, "Take me, please… Master, violate me, defile me," she swallowed hard and began crying again "Please, make feel again…"

Draco brought his hands back to her waist and began thrusting once more. This time Hermione moaned in pleasure.

"Tell me you love me," he said as he continued.

"No!" She said through her moans.

"Do it!" He yelled at her.

"No!" She continued.

"I'll stop!" He told her.

"I will never love you!" She told her.

"Just say it!" He grabbed her hair and pulled her towards him, making her back arch, his thrusts becoming faster and faster.

"Don't stop!" she said as she began climaxing.

"Then say it!" He screamed.

Hermione couldn't hold any longer, her mind was resisting him, but her body gave in "I love you!" She said through gritted teeth.

Draco began convulsing as he shot into her with all his force. Hermione became red and her breathing turned forced and she came. They both collapsed to the bed.

Hermione laid spent on the bed with Draco on top of her. He rolled next to her and said "I know you didn't mean it… but I needed to hear you say it." He pulled her close and spooned her. He whispered in her ear "Do you regret this now?"

"Not yet…" She said. They both fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

The time, as it often did, passed faster than we expect it to…

Hermione woke one morning and rolled over, staring at Draco.

He was beautiful. Fine features, pale skin, his hair, pale white blond… but if he had his eyes open, she would have recoiled at his gray, cold stare. She wanted to be disgusted by him, but instead, she couldn't help but be attracted.

He opened his eyes, turned his head and met her gaze, not a threat of a smile on his face. She turned away from him and stood, making her way to his bathroom. Upon entering it, she glanced over to the mirror. She was starting to look weak and worn. How many days must she continue going to his bed? How many days must she seduce him, and tell him she loved him, just so he'd make love to her… make love? Right.

She stared at herself in the mirror above the sink and touched her cheek. At least she hadn't been in the dungeon since she had started sleeping with him. She didn't know how Draco was defying his father, maybe because he was the Dark Lord's favorite and all… but Hermione's duties now were satisfying her Master and cleaning his quarters… no more kitchen duties, no more house cleaning. She barely even made it out of his room. Professor Snape had come to tutor Draco, but Hermione was merely sent to the bathroom to await her Master in a warm bath.

She turned the cold water on, letting it run over her hands, before splashing it over her face. The shock of the cold woke her, and her eyes began watering. No… she couldn't cry now…

Her stomach lurched and she felt the contents of it coming to the surface. She leaned on the sink looking at the water. It was so clear, so clean… She then threw up, letting the water wash it down the drain. She cupped her hand and took some water in it, carrying it into her mouth. She rinsed her mouth out and spit it into the sink.

Two arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She forced herself to smile before raising her head up and turning into him.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked her.

"Wrong?" She breathed in, trying to let the smile reach her eyes. "You aren't inside me; you aren't a part of me… that's what's wrong." She lied.

He looked into her eyes. Her lips may have been curled into a smile, but her eyes told him differently. He pushed away from her returning to his bed. "You really need to learn how to lie, Hermione."

She sighed, placing both hands on each side of the sink, holding onto it to support herself. She looked up and into the mirror. Her eyes looked as if they'd lost their youth. She followed him back into the room, and crawled into the large bed. She nuzzled into his leg, starting to curl up like a cat.

"Off!" he ordered. She grumbled, but rolled over to the side, getting off of him.

"Take your potion." He added, motioning to the nightstand. A vial was standing on its own, by his wand. The clear potion was there every morning for her to take…

"I will… I want to please you first." She said looking at him.

"Take. Your. Potion." He said sternly.

She sighed, and took the vial in her hand. "I'll start a bath for you…" she said walking toward the bathroom again.

"Hermione!" he screamed at her.

"I'm taking it! I am…" she said getting out of his line of sight. She started the bath, dumping the contents of the vial into the water and refilling it at the tap. She walked over to the doorway, the vial in hand and looked at Draco.

"Do I really need to?" She asked him annoyed.

"Do I really need to answer that?" He said glaring at her.

"I guess you're right… I wouldn't want some Malfoy spawn growing inside me." She said before downing the now water filled vial. What the hell was she doing…?

Two weeks later.

Hermione woke up startled. Another nightmare… Her stomach, like her subconscious, wasn't giving her any rest… She held her belly with her hand and looked over to Draco… he was still sleeping. He looked so peaceful. Not a care in the world.

She looked at the wand on the nightstand… Draco's wand. Her hand moved to hover over it, scared of the pain she would feel, had she miscalculated. It was now or never. She lowered her hand, wincing, bracing herself for the jolt of shock she was about to feel… her fingers wrapped around the wood and she pulled the wand to her face.

No Pain.

It had worked… She was holding the wand, the Malfoy wand. A rush of absolute power filled her body, a sense of empowerment. She no longer felt naked. She turned the wand toward Draco… it was only two words… two little words and Ron would be avenged.

Draco's eyed opened. There was silence as his eyes met hers. She was crying. Her eyes were filled with tears that ran down her cheeks and stained her face. He rolled on his elbow, propping himself up and was going to move closer to her, but then he realized she was holding his wand. He didn't understand.

"Hermione… how are you holding my wand? You aren't a Mal-"

"Your unborn child is though!" She interrupted him, her voice shaky and cracking from the tears.

Draco looked at her stunned.

She held his wand with both hands. She knew all she had to do was mean the spell. She had to cast it now, while he was still shocked by the news. Think of Ron! Her hands began shaking a little, and that made her clutch the wand harder.

Draco's face softened, as he started chuckling to himself, and he lay back onto his pillow, his fingers running through his own hair.

"Stop laughing!" she yelled at him, "I'm going to do it, you know. I'm going to use the killing curse. You deserve it."

"Yes, and I deserve to suffer for it." He let go of his hair and sat up, "So, as long as you are using one unforgivable, why not use two…" he chided. "Torture me… go on! Do it."

"No… I'm not going to allow you to make me feel sorry for you. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to do it quickly. For Ronald. And then I'll kill myself and the unborn spawn that grows inside me…" She said, more tears spilling down chest now.

"Then do it!" He said getting to his knees. The wand was now aimed at his chest. "Do it, Hermione… do it…" but she did not move. Her bottom lip was quivering, but no words were escaping them.

"For Merlin's Sake, you stupid Mudblood!" He pressed himself into the wand leaning into her, "You come to my bed. You sleep with me. Every night! So you can fill yourself with my seed… it got you what you wanted. Now do it!" He said through clenched teeth. He breathed heavily, as he looked through her eyes, to her soul and whispered "Kill me."

She fell to her knees. She began crying harder, sobbing that she was sorry… calling for her dead boyfriend, for the man she thought was her soul mate. She couldn't do it… she couldn't kill him. She wished she could, but she couldn't. Little by little, through her sobs, her hand turned the wand to right below her chest. She would kill herself, and the baby that lived inside her.

"Expelliarmus!" The wand in her hand flipped out and fell to the ground.

"Accio Wand!" Draco's charms came from no where. He was holding another, plainer wand. His more ornate wand flew to him, and as he caught it he said, "You didn't think I didn't have a spare, did you? Foolish girl!"

She continued crying, hiccupping as she did. Draco placed one of the wands inside the drawer of the nightstand, drawing a key and after physically locking it; he pocketed the key and went over to the crying girl. He stood over her.

"Stop it!" He said to her sternly. "You are not going to 'off' yourself like some coward. You're a Gryffindor and don't you forget it!"

"I can't" She cried, "I can't… I won't! I was raised by muggles Draco. When you're not there, when you're not looking, I will do it… I can't go through with this…. Not like this." She wasn't making any sense. She just kept rambling and rocking herself.

Draco pulled her up by her hair, ignoring her screaming, pleading to let her go. He took her to the bathtub, and moved her into the empty basin. With his wand he sprayed her face with water.

Once the stream stopped, she wiped her face. "You can't watch me all the time, Draco." She said defiantly.

"Hermione-" Draco started saying.

She interrupted him "I have nothing to live for! Nothing! You hear me!" She was angry. Her screams were painful to the ear as well as to her throat.

"Hermione!" Draco kept trying to get a word in edgewise, but she wasn't having it.

"I cannot carry the offspring of the wizard, who killed the man I wanted to grow old with, let alone live with myself for not avenging his death!" Her voice had reached a high pitch squeal.

"I didn't kill Ronald Weasley!" He yelled!

Silence…

She stopped crying and looked at him, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Hermione," He said now calmly. "I didn't kill Ronald Weasley…"


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to Xana for being my Beta Reader!

Hermione watched the blonde haired boy walk over to his sink. She had washed her face plenty of times in the half circle basin that was attached directly to the wall, but she had never really paid attention to it in detail. 

"I can't believe a word you say, can I, Malfoy? Is this what you think will keep me alive? The thought that you did not kill my boyfriend? I will never…" But her tears came back and her voice dropped. "I will never know the truth."

Draco moved his wand with the grace and elegance of a swan, muttering an incantation. The sink, which turned out to be a full circle, began to turn, as if it was a merry-go-round. It kept moving slowly until the part that had been used as a sink was deep into the wall and a new basin was now showing. This one with many runic symbols adorning it. Inside the basin, a silvery fluid with a few choice memory strands dancing within it. 

"I have no more secrets from you, Granger…" Draco told her as he moved away from the basin. "You want the truth? Be my guest," he said, motioning to the basin.

She stood up from the floor of the bathtub and climbed out of it slowly. She was still wet from the aguamenticharm Draco had splashed on her. What did she care? She looked into the basin and then back to Draco. He nodded to her, while looking down.

She'd been in the room for months now… She'd never seen the sink turn. These must have been memories Draco removed from his own mind, to protect himself.

She touched the surface of the water and the memories began to swirl fast and out of control. She dropped onto a seat on the Hogwarts express. She was in a compartment with first years: Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. Ernie McMillan and Hannah Abbott were also there.

"I know _I_ am going to be sorted into Slytherin… my parents were Slytherins, you know…" Draco bragged. 

The door barged open and in came Hermione… She was 11, and full of pride. "Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost it." 

"No-- now get out of here… this compartment is for purebloods only." Nott called after her. Hermione had not remembered that incident at all. But the 11 year old girl glared at the boy, turned on her heels and left to search more compartments.

Draco had been visibly bewitched by the little girl. He stood there staring at the empty space she had once occupied and sighed. Nott looked over at Draco. "Oi! Malfoy!" He said, disgusted, "You aren't crushing on the mudblood are you?" 

"Of course not, Nott." He said, laying back pretending to sleep.

The images swirled and Hermione fell on the ground. The scenery was familiar; it was the bushes behind Hagrid's cabin. A younger Draco was stealing a glance at a couple of students that had started snogging behind the fenced garden… She used to snog with Ron there… Her face went pale as she realized, that was indeed her and Ron that Malfoy was staring at. _Ron_… there he was.

This particular snogging session had gone somewhat further that Hermione had really wanted it to. There was a fair amount of touching and kissing… licking… sucking… Hermione was letting Ron go further than he'd even gone.

Draco had his pants open, his hand stroking his enlarged member as he watched them… it wasn't long until he climaxed.

Hermione was furious, but yet, she understood his need to hide this particular memory. 

"Ronald! Did you hear something?" the younger Hermione asked. Draco had moved, and a branch broke under his foot. The Malfoy heir stood still, waiting for the couple to ignore what they thought was probably an animal, and begin their snogging again. As they did, he inched away and made his way to the castle.

The images blurred again and then came back into focus. She was in a dark corner of the Hogs Head Inn. Draco was sitting at a table, his hood covering his luscious blonde locks, but there was no mistaking his eyes. He was sipping a firewhiskey as if he'd been drinking the stuff for years. He was just about to leave when, Harry Potter walked in the door. 

The 17 year old boy walked over to the hooded figure. Malfoy didn't do a good job in hiding himself. "You'd better give me a reason to not alert the professors and the ministry of your presence, M-" But before he could finish, Draco had moved his wand and silenced the boy who lived… 

"Shut up Potter, and let me speak. In a fortnight, Death Eaters will storm the castle. They've been changing their plans as to the date… so be prepared." Draco said in his usual snide voice. 

Harry now seemed interested. He sat at the table with the Slytherin and said "How can I be certain this isn't a trap?" 

"You can't…" Draco said matter-of-factly. "You will just have to trust me…" He said with a smirk. 

"Trust D-" But the silencio charm was cast again… you would have thought Harry Potter would have foreseen that coming. 

"Do not speak my name; I have risked a lot to come here." He hissed through his teeth, "I am not going to be caught because of your tongue!"

"Why _did_ you risk being caught to come tell me this?" Harry said.

"I need your word you will not let anyone know of this." Draco said taking another sip of the firewhiskey.

"You have it." Harry said 

"I mean it Potter!" Draco said, getting sterner as he addressed the fabled Chosen One.

"You have it, you prat-- now tell me!" Harry spat back.

"I want you and Weasel-bee to send your mudblood friend away. Get her out of danger." Draco said disgusted.

Harry jumped to his feet and said "Don't call her tha- Wait… you want Hermione out of danger!" He couldn't believe his ears… did he actually say that?

"No sense in spilling her blood… mud blood…" Draco said looking at his now empty glass.

"No…" Harry said. He had started to understand. Draco liked Hermione… a lot… and he himself knew how hard it was to keep that a secret. Granted, he never pretended to hate Ginny… but he understood what the blonde haired boy was going through. That was probably why he was meanest to Ron… "I guess there isn't…"

Their faces began swirling together and she was finally in the corridor outside the Headmaster's office. She remembered this being where they had escaped Death Eaters, but remembered nothing past that.

She was in a corner and saw Draco crouching behind the armor of a knight, waiting… for what, she wasn't sure.

The door burst open. She, Harry, and Ron came running through the entryway from the moving staircase. Hermione remembered turning around and starting to lock the double doors and put up all sorts of wards on them.

"Stupefy Maxima!" The Slytherin cast and Hermione fell unconscious. Malfoy came out of his hiding place his wand drawn. 

"I told you to send her to safety, you git!" Draco was furious! He'd risked his life to get her out of danger.

"You coward!" Ron said, charging the blonde boy, ready to send a spell flying.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry said pointing his wand to Ron. The wand jumped out of his hands. "Draco's on our side, mate!"

Ron could have killed Harry at that moment. "I could give a thestral's arse! He stunned my girlfriend, if I have to throw him down muggle style, I will!"

"Ron! Get a grip, mate! She'll be easier to bring to safety." Harry said.

"Fine," the ginger boy replied, "The Death Eaters brought down the wards, I'll apparate her out, and then I'll come back."

"You do that, Weasel-bee, and don't you come back until she's safe. Do you hear me, you blood traitor scum?" Draco growled. 

Ronald looked at Harry with an inquisitive look that seemed to scream, 'Since when did he care about Hermione?'

At that moment a secret door behind a bookcase burst open. Theodore Nott and a dark haired girl with a glowing dark mark on her arm came bursting through the corridor. The couple did not see the others in the corridor as they were concealed by the moved bookcase.

Nott grabbed a handful of the dark hair flowing from the girl's head. He pulled her towards him and instead of screaming the girl laughed and kissed him viciously. She was biting his lower lip, and had a demonic look in her eyes. She pulled away from him, licking the little blood she had drawn from him by biting his lips… or tongue… Hermione was rather disgusted by it as she saw the scene unfold.

"Irina, you are my mate. I will follow you to the ends of Hades and back!" Nott screamed with an enthusiasm Hermione had never seen in the boy. The girl must have been Irina Karkaroff.

"As long as you continue pleasing the Dark Lord, you will have me. But don't forget, once he calls on me to bear him the Heir of Slytherin, I will go to his bed." She said with a sick smile on her face.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my love, my dark beauty. I will be happy to take you back once you've done your life's work and you and I may consummate our love." Nott said as he pulled her by her waist and kissed her neck, biting down on her.

"_Stupify Maxima!"_ The spell hit Nott in the back and as he fell to the ground, he let go of Irina.

Irina turned around and ducked the next spell that came from Harry. Irina was a master of non verbal spells. She walked towards Ronald, now wandless, who seemed to be petrified. The dark haired girl cast protego at every spell Harry and Draco sent towards her, as if she was swatting flies away. 

She seemed calm, but there was vengeance in her eyes. 

With a movement of her wand Ronald flew backward into the spear of a suit of armor, which ran through his stomach.

"Nooooo!" Harry screamed. "Ron!" The Chosen One ran to his friend trying to remove him from the spear, to no avail.

Hermione screamed! She, who had been watching from the corner, ran to Ron's aid, but she was not really there, this was a memory-- and not hers. She tried to caress her boyfriend's cheek… tried to help Harry, but all she could do was watch him die.

Irina was about to charge after him when Draco stepped in front of her.

"Take Nott's ring, Draco!"

"_Stupify_!"

"_Protego_!" She said out loud this time. "You think I killed my own father thanks to being lucky? I am fast and talented… and I have no heart!"

"Then what does Nott have?" He said to her.

"He has a promise, nothing more… love is an idiotic feeling. I thought you knew this. What with Parkinson and all…" She smiled a wicked smile. "Or is there someone else you love, Draco?" She seemed as though she was flirting, in a deviant sort of way.

Draco's eyes quickly glanced at Hermione. 

"Her! A Mudblood? Over Me?" she said, annoyed.

"You? What are you talking about?" Draco said, truly miffed.

"You were supposed to have the ring! Nott told me it was a gift from your Aunt Bellatrix, after he pleased her in ways she'd not been pleased before! But your father should have given you that ring! You were supposed to be my mate, my promise." The girl seemed so angry with him.

"That ring was given down to the male heir of your family line… do you know you are a descendant of the first dark lord? Even before Salazar Slytherin. And your stupid uncle gave it away!" She began pulling her hair out; the girl was Mad! "I was supposed to bear the Dark Lord's Heir… it's in the prophecy! Now take the ring; you were the one who stunned him. Take the ring. It's yours to claim!"

"No! I don't want you, Irina! And you are not making sense!" Malfoy screamed.

"The seer said I was going to kill my father and bear a son to the boy wearing the ring. My child would be the next Dark Lord and ancestor to the first Dark Lord. You are ruining it! And for what!" she said looking at Hermione on the floor. Her wand rose. "_Crucio_!"

The spell hit the unconscious Hermione and her body began to writhe and jolt.

"_CRUCIO_!" Draco said aiming at Irina, but the deviant girl had a sick taste for pain and she kept on torturing the unconscious body. Finally, Draco could not bear to see Hermione's body mistreated and not being able to stop it. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Irina's head spun towards Draco, in utter shock that he would utter those words… the killing curse, for the girl laying unconscious on the corridor floor. But her eyes went blank and she fell. Lifeless.

"Draco!" Ron coughed.

The blond boy turned around and approached the dying Gryffindor. 

"Harry, it's alright… stop crying…" Ron tried to mutter. "You need to go. The dark lord's after you…" Ron tried to breathe through the pain. "Go!"

"But Hermione…" Harry contested.

"She'll be safer with Malfoy… with you, she'll just be followed." Ron said and held onto the spear. "Go now, I hate looking like skewered meat in front of friends. Go… I love you mate…"

"I love you, too…" Harry said in tears and he disapparated.

Hermione was crying her eyes out. So this was what had happened?

But then he turned to Draco. "Look… you are a right git, but I need you to promise me that…" Ron coughed again, "That… you will take care of my girl… ok?"

Draco nodded. "I will die for her."

"I can tell…" Ron said trying not to laugh. "First born Malfoy…. you call him or her Ron… Ronald or Ronalda…"

Draco chuckled, "In your dreams, Weasley."

Ron chuckled, followed by "Ow Ow Ow…"

"Don't talk… and do not fear; I will protect her with my life." Draco told him.

"Tha… Tha…. Thank y-" But Ron died before he could finish.

Draco closed the boy's eyes. He went to Irina and took her wand. He transfigured it to look like his own ornate wand, then he took his and transfigured his own to look like Ronald Weasley's plainer one. He then took Ron's and turned it to look like Irina's and broke it in half laying it by her side.

He sat on the floor by Irina and touched his Dark Mark.

"_Bombarda_!" The door blew open and as it did, Death Eaters came from the stairway.

"Draco!" His mother yelled running to him. "Are you hurt? Child, speak to me!"

"I'm fine mother… I killed Ronald Weasley."

"You… You did?" A voice came from the back… it was Goyle's.

"Yes, you idiot, I did." Malfoy said annoyed.

"I don't believe it." Pansy, who was behind Goyle, said defiantly. "Check his wand!"

"Little Miss Parkinson seems to think you betrayed us, that they knew of our attack," Lucius said to his son taking the ornate wand from his hand. "Let's see. _Prior Incantato_!"

The ghost of the spell that shot toward Ron shoving him onto the spear appeared. 

Hermione couldn't bear seeing it again, and covered her face.

"Looks like your son's earned a place at my right hand," Hissed the high pitch voice of Lord Voldemort. "Good work, boy… You've delivered the young mudblood and killed Potter's best pal… he'll be easily caught now."

Draco feigned a pleased smile.

"But what happened to Karkaroff?" The Dark Lord asked. 

"Weasley killed her. I'm laying claim to his wand as a spare for me… If the Dark Lord is alright with that." Draco turned to his father. "Would you like to test this one as well?"

Lucius glared at his son's impudence. But the Dark Lord laughed. "You son did not appreciate being called a traitor I see… He will go far. Lay your claim to anything you wish, it is yours."

"I want her!" He said pointing at the unconscious Hermione. 

"No, I've claimed her." Zabini's voice said.

"_Crucio_!" Draco used full force Blaise was crying from the pain begging him for mercy.

Voldemort looked at Draco and said "Stop Draco… I need young Blaise."

Draco stopped obediently.

Voldemort circled the stunned Hermione. "What do you wish to do with the mudblood, Draco…"

"I want to show her what it means to go against the Dark Lord! And once I tire of playing with my new toy, I will dispose of her." There was anger in the boy's voice.

"Very well, Draco-- a gift from me." Voldermort said.

The fluid in the basin spun around, and she found herself falling backward. Draco caught her as she fainted in his arms.


End file.
